Unbalanced Power Book Two: Gallade, My Brother
by Orthros
Summary: After a shocking discovery in the woods leads to some unexpected company, Amber Thompson sets out on her journey. Unbeknownst to her, however, plans are in play that could destroy her and everything she loves. Juggling the daunting tasks of searching for her father, caring for her friends and meeting powerful figures, will she have what it takes? (Sequel to 'Gardevoir, My Angel')
1. Prologue

**_(Author's Note: This story is the sequel to 'Gardevoir, My Angel' which can be found on my profile. It is a direct continuation of that story, so it is highly recommended you read that first, before you read 'Gallade, My Brother.'_**

 ** _This story is rated M for Graphic content, Blood/Gore, Dark/Suggestive themes, and strong language._**

 ** _The following is a prologue and takes place almost one month after the events in 'Gardevoir, My Angel')_**

 **-Unknown Hotel, Unknown City, Unknown Region, Unknown POV, 3:15 AM-**

Ugh, I'm tired.

I don't suppose you care, do you? You probably won't even read this, 'cas chances are I'll just trash the paper later.

…

I'm sorry. My brother woke me up at three in the morning, laughing his cute (but annoying) three year old laugh of his.

Sigh.

Let's try this again.

My name is Amber. Amber Thompson. A bit tall for my fourteen years of age at 5' 2," but I won't complain. Everyone tells me I look much too mature for my age, but that I "act like I was raised by Monferno." My eyes, naturally, are a deep amber.

Why the hell am I even writing this?

'Cas I feel like it. Not that that's the usual for me. Never written much before in my life. Hardly touched journals, pushed away diaries. I don't like writing about my past. The less said about that, the better.

Will, the little tyke, he's grunting in his sleep again. I feel a sense of need to protect him, though I'm sure my mother can do that just fine. She's a strong trainer, after all.

Her name, you ask? No. I won't give you that. I don't like the gaping stares, the astonished expressions of disbelief.

Wow, that sounded stupid. Way, way too formal.

Anyway… What to talk… Ok, write about?

I was having a pretty cool dream, I suppose, before my dear brother had to go and snap me awake. It had taken place in a vast throne room, with grand walls spirling in a multitude of ever changing colors. I was standing on the smooth stone floor, facing a royal throne. Upon the seat, which was fashioned more like a love seat than a throne, was a small pink pokemon. I can't remember it's name, though I'm sure it's been mentioned before in school.

It faced a boy. Not a bad looking boy either, mind you. He stood about 5' 8," with a heap of unruly black hair and shocking emerald green eyes.

I know what you're thinking. No, I wasn't enjoying his appearance! He's gross, I swear.

Shut up. My Story.

Where was I? Oh yeah. The boy radiated a kind of quiet power, as if he'd been told every part of his destiny and knew that he wouldn't survive it. He seemed troubled, asking the pokemon different questions as if he could understand it.

Why (besides his looks) did I consider the dream cool?

Simple. I never dream. At least, not ones that I can remember even a hint of. So that's definitely a difference. Alright, what else should I tell you non-existent readers about?

My location, I guess: I'm in a hotel in Lumiose City, where my mother is meeting Diantha, the Champion of Kalos, at a request from her boss.

Yeah, I kinda dumped that on you, didn't I? You're still not getting her name. The point is, mom couldn't find anyone to babysit myself and Will, so she brought us from our small abode in Santalune City to this amazing hotel here in Lumiose.

You're probably wondering why my dad couldn't just watch us, right?

I said I wouldn't talk much about my past, and I'm sticking to that. But I'll say one thing: I've no idea where my dad is. I'll give some info on him, in case you pretend readers might be able to find him.

He disappeared over two years ago. He was a pokemon ranger in Kalos, one of the best. The Ranger Union was and still is dumbfounded. They tracked his styler to chargestone cave, where it was found next to his Partner Pokemon Turtwig, severely injured but alive.

Noone's seen him since.

Anything else? Oh, yeah. At the time I was supposed to get my first Pokemon, Professor Sycamore was out of starters. Not that I wanted any of them, anyway. I asked the Ranger Union to let me keep dad's Turtwig, and they said yes. She loves playing with me, but she hates her pokeball. Not that we do much battling, since I haven't left on my journey quite yet, but she won't even let me put her in the ball for emergencies. The thought makes me nervous, but delighted that she has some spunk as well. Reminds me of me.

Alright, enough is enough. I can hear my mom getting up in the other room. She always gets up early. I gotta stop now, before she sees me and asks why I keep throwing out the journals she gets me.

Perhaps I'll do this again, who knows. Buh-bye!

 _Without love, trust, or any sort of knowledge that you're reading this,  
_ _-Amber_

 _ **(Author's Note: Hello, ladies and gentlemen! Here it is, the (hopefully not) long awaited start of the sequel to 'Gardevoir, My Angel.' : 'Gallade, My Brother'! This prologue introduces the new protagonist, Amber, as well as some important plot work. I'm not writing these in advance, so even I don't know how this story will turn out. Leave your comments and concerns in the form of a review, and I'll try to get back to you ASAP!**_

 _ **Good, luck, happy reading and writing! -Orthros)**_


	2. Chapter I: An Unexpected Meeting

**-Lumiose Hotel, Amber's POV, 3:45 AM-**

I close my eyes, tight, but not _too_ tight. Then my mom would know I was awake.

The paper I had been writing on crinkled slightly from under my back as I shifted. I had crumpled it quietly as I leap cat-like back into bed, shutting off my phone, which I had been using as a modern candle, at the same time. I just managed to get my breathing rhythmic as I heard the door crack open a tad.

A few seconds later it closed once again. I let out a near silent sigh of relief.

"Tur?"

The small grunt comes from below me, and I look over the edge of the hotel bed to see a small, green, turtle like pokemon staring back at me. I give her a quick sideways grin, before picking her up and setting her on my bed.

I lay back on my pillows, wiping my red hair out of my eyes to stare at the ceiling. My buddy Fate, a Turtwig that had originally been a Partner Pokemon for my Ranger-Gone-Missing Father, Ethan Thompson, nuzzles my hand until I lift it up. She lays down and allows me to rest my hand on her smooth shell.

I sigh tiredly and address the ceiling, though my whispered words are aimed at Fate. "I have a feeling, Fate." I grin at the ceiling. "I think tomorrow is gonna be interesting."

The Turtwig grunts sleepily, which I take as a semi-excited exclamation. I've always been able to interpret her pokemon speak pretty well. The thought makes me smile slightly.

Then I fall back to sleep.

 **-Lumiose Hotel, Amber's POV, 9:05 AM-**

"Amber! Breakfast is ready!"

I hear my mother calling in her sweet, carefree tone and immediately jump out of bed. I snap on the lights to see Will's crib empty and smell a delicious aroma coming from the other of the two rooms.

I quickly dress in my usual attire of a white tank top, black jeans and a light red and black sweat jacket. A moment later I step into the light of the small kitchenette. The great smell was that of Grumpig Sausage links sizzling loudly in a frying pan. Will sat in his high chair, giggling madly like usual. I patted him on the shoulder.

Turning around, I catch sight of my mother coming out of the bathroom, where she had been washing her hands. She sees me and smiles, wrinkling her brown eyes. She wore a simple brown dress, but the simplicity stopped there. She was dressed in her signature outfit of Salamence teeth braided together with emeralds to form jewelry. Her shoes were formed from Aerodactyl teeth, and her earrings were shaped from the claws of a Druddigon.

Tracey Thompson, more well known as Drasna, superior Dragon Master and the strongest Elite Four member in Kalos. My mother.

Yeah.

She smiles at me, gesturing for me to take a seat. I do so, sitting across from her.

She picks up her fork, stabbing a piece of sausage without mercy and plopping it onto her plate. Will was busy with a bowl of cheerios.

"So," Drasna said casually, "Are you excited to meet Diantha?"

"Uhh…" I said, unsure of how to answer the question. "Yeah, I guess."

My mother giggled. "What're you worried about? She's great."

"Ehehe," I laughed nervously, rubbing the back of my head with my fork-free hand. "Well, her partner pokemon is a Gardevoir, right? So she can read minds, right?"

Mom nodded. "So _that's_ what you're worried about. Don't worry. Diantha considers it common courtesy to only invade the minds of others with their permission, unless it's an emergency. She'll leave you be. Why?" She adds, smirking at me. "You got something to hide?"

My thoughts flash back to the boy I had dreamed of for a split second, before I vigorously shake my head. "N-no! Of course not," I stammer. This just makes mom laugh harder. I love her laugh, it sounds so cheerful.

"How soon until we leave?" I ask, trying to subtly change the subject.

"Oh, a few minutes." Mom responded. She grabs the hotel TV remote from the counter behind her and clicks the power button, turning on the news.

" _-Maybe, Alyssa, but we still don't know much about the incident that took place in Unova and Sinnoh."_

A picture of a trainer and his pokemon flashes on the screen, and my eyes widen until they're larger than quarters.

"Mom, what's this about an incident in Unova and Sinnoh?" I ask, trying not to stutter.

She gazes at the TV. "I thought you heard about it, honey. It's been on the news for almost a month now! That boy Terry Collins assisted the Sinnoh Company and the Unovan Armed Forces in driving the nefarious Team Plasma out of Unova! He defeated over fifty men and fought their leader to save his Gardevoir, whom he nicknamed Angel."

I shivered slightly, which was noticed by mom. "Is something wrong, sweetie?" she asks, sounding concerned.

"What? No, I'm fine." I say quickly. I can tell I didn't fool her, but thankfully she didn't push it. That's another thing I love about her: She let's me deal with my own problems, and only helps when she's asked. She lets me fight my own battles. I look at the TV again, focusing on the Gardevoir. She seems happy and content, but on closer inspection seemed to be nervous, subtly trying to get herself out of the camera's spotlight. Something seemed off about her. "Why is her coloring different? I thought Gardevoir has greenish hair and red eyes. And the name… Are they…?"

Mom shrugged. "The Gardevoir is shiny, so she has a different color than most. It's an extremely rare occurrence, so she probably gets a lot more attention than she would like. As for her name, Terry seems overly protective of her. Rumor is going around that they're a couple, though they haven't admitted it yet. It seems likely."

I looked at mom with a hint of skepticism. "Isn't that considered Pokephilia, which is illegal?"

Mom looked at the ceiling thoughtfully. "I don't know the details, but I've heard there are limited exceptions for certain pokemon. Since Terry hasn't been arrested yet, I think he's been within the law. Alright," Drasna adds, getting up from her chair and picking up Will. "Shall we head out, then?"

I stand as well, excited but nervous. "Sure!"

As we head out the door, I'm deep in thought.

 _That boy looks_ exactly _like the guy I saw in my dream last night._

 _Probably just a coincidence._

 **-Lumiose Pokemon Research Lab, Amber's POV, 10:00 AM-**

As we got out of the car, our driver promising to wait in the parking lot around the corner where he would entertain Will, I gazed up at the building we'd arrived at. It was fairly grand, with a nice glass doorway and a good looking brick exterior. Fortunately, I recognized the place: the Lumiose City Pokemon Research Facility, where most Kalos trainers would go to receive their first pokemon. As mom and I walked up the front steps, I remembered the time I had meet the leader of the place, the famous Professor Augustine Sycamore, a renowned researcher on the mysteries behind Mega Evolution. I've only seen Mega Evolution in action a couple of times on TV, but it was absolutely incredible even then.

Speaking of renowned researchers, as we got to the entrance, Professor Sycamore emerged.

"Hello, Drasna!" He says, shaking her hand happily. "And Amber, it's been a while!" He adds, shaking my hand as well.

I can't help but smile at his usual enthusiasm. After a moment he turns around, waving us inside; "Head on in, Diantha is waiting on the patio."

We walked through the entrance, appearing in a modern looking lab, where several scientists were sitting at desks or sorting through file cabinets, and headed for a side door. It opened up to a glass covered patio with a big picnic table situated off to one side.

Sitting at the table, sipping a coffee, was Diantha. Beside her, reading what appeared to be an old book, was a Gardevoir, whom I assumed was Diantha's partner. Diantha wore her signature white dress, and the pair of them wore matching necklaces. The pendants on the necklaces were the most intriguing part about them, as it signified the strength of their bond: A key stone for Diantha, a Gardevoirite for Gardevoir, both wrapped in thin gold leaf.

Diantha stood as we entered. "Drasna! It's good to see you again."

Mom smiled wide. "Same to you, Diantha. This is my daughter, Amber," she adds, pushing me forward slightly. I grin and shake hands with the champion.

"It's great to meet you, M'am." I say.

Diantha laughs, shaking her head. "Call me Diantha, dear. Any daughter of Drasna is a friend of mine!"

I nodded, already enjoying the company. Soon enough we were sat at the table. The Gardevoir seemed nervous, and excused herself. I watched as she went through the back glass door to the patio and ended up sitting under a tree, where she continued on with her book.

Diantha follows my eyes. "Most psychic types don't prefer to socialize with people they don't know," she explained. She frowned. "I dunno though, she's usually more open than most."

I looked at her questioningly. "Do you think something is wrong?"

Diantha shook her head. "No, but I'll ask her later." She turned her head to Drasna. "Down to business, I suppose. You've heard about the events in Unova and Sinnoh in the past month?" At Drasna's nod, she continues. "Alright. Keep the contents of this meeting between us and the other Elite Four members, including those from other regions. Cynthia contacted me a couple of days ago."

I raised my hand. "Cynthia? Like, Sinnoh Region Champion Cynthia?"

Diantha nodded. "The very same. She's having trouble down in Sinnoh. Since Ghetsis escaped, Team Galactic has been getting bolder and bolder. She thinks Ghetsis is hiding in Sinnoh, collaborating with their leader, Cyrus."

Drasna frowned deeply. "That cannot be good."

"You got that right," Diantha agreed. "Cynthia and her Elite Four, Aaron, Bertha, Flint, and Lucian, they have spread their resources extremely thin. She was hoping to stand strong on her own, but then Lucian called an S.O.S."

Drasna's eyes widened. "I've heard of Lucian. He's easily on my level of strength. What happened?"

Diantha shook her head. "Lucian got pinned down in an ambush. He forced his pokemon to teleport out to save them, but he was captured in return. Cynthia and the remaining Elites threw everything they had at the retreating forces and managed to take him back, but his wounds were severe. He's alive, but even the most power healing pokemon won't be getting him back on his feet for a week or two at least."

Drasna sighed. "And with the second most powerful trainer in Sinnoh down, Team Galactic is practically free to do as they like. Which is why you want us to go down and assist."

"You sure you're not a psychic?" Diantha asked, a trace of a grin on her face. After a moment, however, the grin turns to a grimace. "That's about it."

Mom seems nervous, deep in thought. As she's about to speak up, however, a knock sounds on the door of the patio, leading back inside. The face of a young researcher pokes it's head into our area.

"Pardon the interruption, Professor. Someone is here to see you." He says nervously.

Professor Sycamore sighs. "Can it wait a few minutes? We're in an important meeting."

"Y-yes, Boss." The boy responds, straightening his glasses nervously. He lowers his voice slightly. "But I would recommend seeing him now… Please?" He asks pleadingly.

Professor Sycamore looks around at Diantha, who gives him a small nod. He shrugs. "Send him in," he tells the researcher.

The person that walks in the door nearly makes me faint from shock.

He strides casually in the doorway, thanking the researcher as he does so. Once the door closes behind him, he nods to us. "Hi," he says, quiet but confident. "I'm Terry."


	3. Chapter II: Mega-Sized Developments

**-Lumiose Pokemon Research Facility, Amber's POV, 10:15 AM-**

An awkward silence followed Terry's self acclaimed introduction, causing the teen to blush slightly. Professor Sycamore finally broke it by clearing his throat and getting to his feet.

"Ahem," He said haltingly, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Terry. I'm Professor Sycamore." He shakes the boy's hand.

Terry nods. "Same to you. I didn't mean to interrupt. I can come back later if you like."

Diantha shakes her head, smiling. "No no, that's fine. I've actually been wanting to meet you myself, Terry. I'm Diantha, Kalos Champion. This is Drasna, my strongest Elite Four Member, and her daughter, Amber."

Terry looks a bit taken aback by the introduction, but shakes Diantha's hand nonetheless. Mom comes forward next, her warm smile offset by her dragon fang accessories, which can easily come off as intimidating to strangers. Again, Terry shakes her hand, though he seems nervous. He eyes the earrings warily, as though they might come to life and try to impale him.

Then he turns to me. He's dressed in a simple black tee-shirt, with blue jeans and white tennis shoes, and a red and blue backpack on his shoulders. The unruly black hair and shocking green eyes leave no doubt in my head: He's the one I saw in that dream.

 _I hope he doesn't read my mind,_ I thought nervously to myself.

I smirk slightly, hiding my nerves. "So, Goku, what brings you to Lumiose CIty, anyway? Last I heard you were in Jubilife down in Sinnoh."

Terry raises an eyebrow. "Goku?" He says incredulously. Suddenly, without warning, his eyes glow a soft blue color, and a mirror pops into existence in front of him. I was about to run from the room, screaming about paranormal activity, when I realized something was off. The mirror was translucent.

After a moment both the glow and mirror fade. Terry snorts. "So my bedhead style is Goku, eh? I think Vegeta looks better though," he adds, smirking.

Diantha lets loose a low whistle. "You've already mastered Illusions? How old did you say you were? 16?"

Terry nods, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, it's my most recent accomplishment. That's part of the reason I stayed in Sinnoh, so I could take a break and finish up." His expression turns serious. "To answer your question, Amber, I came to see Professor Sycamore because of this."

He pulls a small, clear plastic box from his backpack, the kind you might see holding an autographed baseball. Inside, situated on a small pink cushion, sat a beautiful, clear stone. It was about the size of an orange, with a light green and pink stripe running down the middle. As he lifted it up to chest height, the sphere lit with a warm glow for a moment. At the same time, another smaller sphere glowed briefly from beneath his shirt, over his heart.

Sycamore's eyes widened. "Is that…"

Diantha nodded slowly. "Definitely. I would recognise that stone anywhere."

I did, too. The stone looked exactly like the one that hung around the neck of Diantha's Gardevoir. It was a Gardevoirite.

"Where did you get it?" I ask.

Terry sighs, a misty look in his eyes. After a moment he says slowly; "From a friend."

Terry places the stone back in his pack, then puts his fingers around his neck. They find a thin gold chain, which he lifts up. The pendant is composed of a simple silver and gold cup, like the inside of a bowl. Resting in the slot is a shrunken Luxury Ball.

"He gave me the Gardevoirite shortly after the events in Unova and Sinnoh. Unfortunately, I don't have a Key Stone. I was wondering if you, Professor Sycamore, either had one or had any idea as to where I might find one…?"

Professor Sycamore nods slowly. "I think I've got one, Terry. I have a personal one that I use with my friend Garchomp. But there's also another that I received as payment for some research. I wouldn't be able to give it to you right away, you'd have to wait a couple of days, as I'm finishing up some tests on it. Nothing major, just measurements."

Terry grins, nodding. "That sounds great, Professor! Do you think it's possible we could try it out today, though? If you and Garchomp can perform it as well, than it would be a good battle for us to start out on."

To his credit, the Professor grins, grabbing a pokeball from one of his coat pockets. "I never turn down a challenge, Terry. Shall we?"

 **-Lumiose Pokemon Research Facility(Outdoor Arena), Amber's POV, 10:45 AM-**

Professor Sycamore led us back through the research facility, taking a moment to grab a package from his desk before directing us to the other side of the building. We went through a door and found ourselves on the edge of a large battlefield, like a gym arena floor, only flat with bare dirt.

The Professor grins. "Alright, Terry," He says. "Here's your opponent!"

The man throws a pokeball high into the air. As it reaches the peak of it's arc, it splits in the middle, causing a large white light to burst forth. A Garchomp appears from the light, roaring as the pokeball lands back in Sycamore's hand. I watch as Terry pulls out a pokedex and listens to the reading.

"You're at a type disadvantage," he notes.

The Professor nods. "So it seems, but we have the advantage of experience."

Terry takes a moment to consider this. Then he takes hold of his necklace, poking the Luxury Ball from it's slot. He gives it a light kiss for luck, which only reinforces my suspicions of him, before pressing the button. A second flash of light explodes, and his Gardevoir appears.

"You ready, Angel?" Terry asks.

'Angel' doesn't move, but after a moment Terry nods. He walks over to his pokemon, draping a silver chain around her neck, the pendant of which held his Gardevoirite. It sits just above the spike that juts out from her chest. I take note of her appearance: light blue skin, with pearly white making up the garment like skin, and sunset orange for her eyes and spike.

I glance at Diantha, who's watching with interest. Her partner Gardevoir stares almost openly at Angel, occasionally glancing at her own arms or spike.

Terry takes the out the package that Professor Sycamore lent him and pulls the Key Stone from it. It's about the size of a large marble, colored in horizontal rainbow hues. A symbol seemed etched inside the stone; a wavy figure with 3 lines cutting through it, the whole symbol colored deep black. It matched Diantha's, but Terry simply held it in his hand, rather than as jewelry.

Terry nods to Angel. "Here we go, than. I guess we'll mega evolve first."

Professor Sycamore waves his hand in recognition. "Concentrate on the emotional attachment between you and your partner. I know many trainers announce some sort of dramatic verse when they activate this ability, but it's all for show. Give it a shot."

Terry nods and takes a deep breath. He closes his eyes, and after a moment, grips his Key Stone tightly. At once, the stone sparks, crackling with energy. Four tendrils of yellowish blue fire spring out from the stone like possessed vines. At the same time, the Gardevoirite sparks with four similar two vine quartets rapidly close the distance to each other. When they collide, they turn blinding white.

All seems well for a few seconds, but all of a sudden the vines of energy turn dark red. They twist and warp, before suddenly imploding, sending the trainer and pokemon in different directions as a huge explosion detonates between them. The shockwave hits the rest of our group too, knocking the lot of us to the ground.

I groan, shaking my head for a moment, before staggering to my feet. I don't seem to be hurt, which is good. I see mom, Diantha, and Diantha's partner lying nearby. Professor Sycamore, who was across the field and out of blast range, returns his Garchomp and runs to Terry's side. I gaze at him in horror.

He isn't bleeding, but he's moaning and there seems to be some sort of ugly red sparks emanating from him, like he got electrocuted by a neon sign. The Professor reaches him, but as soon as he touches him Terry jerks up, and some sort of shockwave erupts from his body, pushing the older man away but not toppling him over.

Terry shakes his head, still sitting on the ground, and glances at the Professor. "Sorry about that. It was a reflex."

Professor Sycamore nods as Terry gets to his feet, and I join them as they rush over to the fallen partner. As we near her, I'm suddenly hit with a weird feeling, like I'm walking on flypaper. It escalates quickly, and in moments I'm hopelessly trapped, stuck on an invisible glue. It takes me a moment to realize that it's Terry's doing. He glances at me apologetically, but says nothing.

He sits down next to his partner, who's awake but unmoving. Gently, he grabs her shoulders and pulls her head into his lap. Angel takes a deep breath, and after a moment of silence the pair stand. Judging by the expressions on their faces, though, I think a rather loud argument went on telepathically.

Terry releases the Professor and I from his hold. "I'm sorry about that," he says sincerely. "But it was better that I was only only one touching. I hope you understand."

I didn't understand, and judging from the look on the Professor's face he didn't either, but neither of us pushed it. Terry returns Angel to her pokeball, before clipping it back onto the necklace.

"Are you two ok?!" I hear Diantha call.

The three of us look over to see Drasna, Diantha and her Gardevoir jogging over to us.

Terry nods slowly. "Yeah, we are."

Professor Sycamore shakes his head, mystified. "I've never seen that happen before. I'm sorry about putting the two of you in danger."

Terry shrugs as if his life being threatened wasn't a big deal. "Yeah, well, I have a vague suspicion, judging by what I sensed right before I pretty much exploded. I'll give it some thought and we'll keep working on it." He hands back Sycamore the Key Stone, which he had somehow kept hold of.

I smirk at him. "You're smoking." I point out.

He sighs heavily. "I liked my Goku hairdo, too. I think Angel thought it was nerdy though."

I crack up at this, as do the others. Terry even allows himself a small smile.

Diantha turns to Terry. "So, what're you planning on doing?"

"I've got business in Sinnoh," Terry responds. "I'm meeting someone in Jubilife. Perhaps…" He adds uncertainty, "perhaps I could help out you and Cynthia."

Diantha frowns at this. "You were eavesdropping?"

"You made it hard not to, your defences were so low you practically shouted your thoughts at me." Terry responds. "Besides, I already knew the gist of the situation."

"How?" Drasna speaks up.

"I met Flint," Terry responded. "He got caught out in a storm near Oreburgh City. I happened to see him from a cave I was staying the night in. I invited him in, and when he found out who I was, he pretty much told me everything."

I thought that seemed suspicious. "Not to be rude," I start, "but why would he trust you?"

Terry gazes up at the sky, squinting. "Because I had a pretty big involvement in the events of the past month. Team Plasma has more enemies than just the Champions and their Elites," he states seriously, glancing at Diantha. "We're on the same side."

I'm sure he's hiding something and I'm sure Diantha is thinking along the same lines, but she doesn't argue.

Drasna turns to me "You grandparents live in Twinleaf town in Sinnoh. You can stay with them while I help out Diantha."

I stared in disbelief at her. "But, Mom, I thought I was going to start my Journey after we got home!"

Drasna sighed. "You still have a lot to learn…"

Terry raises a hand slightly. "You could have her register her pokedex with Professor Rowan in Sandgem Town," he says casually. "That way she has a professional in-region to go to. Sandgem Town is near Twinleaf, too, so she could visit her parents."

"Yes, but who would keep her safe if she travels in Sinnoh?" Drasna retorts. "Evil is running rampant. It's too dangerous!"

Terry raises a brow. "I suppose I can't recommend myself, can I? I can get her as far as Oreburgh, before I would have to head back and wait for my friend in Jubilife. By then, though, I think she would be perfectly able to take care of herself."

Drasna glares at Terry, which is really unlike her. "How do I know I can trust you?"

Terry hesitates, but Diantha saves him "I'll vouch for him," She says. She looks pointedly at Terry. "You let your guard down too often, too, it's not just me." She looks back to Drasna. "He's trustworthy, honest, and experienced.

Terry blushed. "Thanks."

I looked at Terry, hardly able to believe my ears. "You mean it?" I ask incredulously. "You'd do that for me?"

"Sure," he responds. "Like I said, I gotta head back down there anyway. I enjoy good company. That, and I doubt sitting in an old folks home playing Chess all day would be very entertaining," he adds, smirking.

I nod. "That sounds like my grandparents, so yeah, you're right."

Diantha nods. "Alright. Terry, Drasna, Amber. We can get a plane tomorrow morning. You two should head to the pokemart and stock up on anything you don't have yet," She adds to me and Terry, who nods in agreeance.

"Let's hit it, then."

 **(Author's Note: Oh boy, that chapter got interesting quick. Terry introduced himself, explained part of his adventures in the month separating the events in these books, all the characters have secrets waiting to be told, and** _ **Terry and Angel failed a mega evolution.**_

 **You want hints to this development? Well, too bad.**

 **Good Luck, happy reading/writing! -Orthros)**


	4. Chapter III: A Healing Hand

_**(Author's Note: I don't want to reveal anything, but I figure this should be addressed: For those few of you who have read the currently on-hold story of mine titled "The Gears of Reality," I want to point out that the Unbalanced Power series will crossover slightly with it. However, The Gears of Reality itself is going to have a different turnout, unrelated to Unbalanced Power.**_

 _ **Enjoy the story! -Orthros)**_

 **-High in the Sky, Sinnoh Region Territory, Terry's POV, 3:22 PM-**

" _This is Captain Richards speaking, we are beginning our descent. Please return your tray tables to their upright positions, ensure all your supplies are stowed away in their respective containers or overhead bins, and return any pokemon to their pokeballs at this time. On behalf of myself and the entire staff that served you today, I thank you for flying with us here at Kalos International Airlines. Enjoy the remainder of your Flight."_

The speaker crackles slightly as Captain Richards returns the microphone to it's holder. I sigh, turning my eyes back to my Poketch. I had received the little device as payment for a favor I had completed for a man back in Jubilife. The screen, while small, was impressive. I use it even more than my phone now, though that's not saying much.

Another sigh echos from beside me. I turn my head towards the isle, where Amber is sitting, rigid and straight-backed. I bite my tongue to prevent myself from chuckling.

"I thought you said you weren't afraid of heights," I say.

She sticks her tongue out at me, but it's ruined by the panicked look in her eyes. "Fine. I'm a little nervous up high… Ok, a lot! Happy?"

I shrug. "I suppose. But you're forgetting that you're flying with the most trusted airline in Kalos, under one of the most experienced Captains, with two of the top Psychics sitting within five feet of you. Relax a bit, eh?"

She grimaces. "I'll relax when I can stand on solid ground again, thanks." She turns her head to the small pokemon in her lap. While not petrified with fright, the Turtwig, Fate, seems upset by her trainer's nerves. "Alright, Fate. You need to go back into your pokeball for the time being."

As Amber returns her partner in a beam of red light, my thoughts flash to that of my own friends. Ace and Axinite are both doing ok, growing stronger by the day. It's Angel that I'm worried about.

 _Why? Why had we failed Mega-Evolution? Surely I'm close enough to her for us to achieve it… I love her. If that's not enough, what is? Even Professor Sycamore himself was baffled…_

"Terry?"

I hear my name called and turn my head around to see Diantha and Drasna looking at me.

"We should double check our plans," Drasna says. "You and Amber are headed back to TwinLeaf Town, right?"

I nod. "Yeah. From there, we can travel through to Oreburgh. I should be able to teleport us straight to TwinLeaf. If not, Sandgem will work, and we can walk from there. It's only a day's journey."

Diantha nods. "Drasna and I are going to head to Celestic Town to contact Cynthia. We need to get an idea about Team Galactic's plans. Cynthia recommended her parents, so we're all meeting there. Perhaps we'll see you then?"

 **-Jubilife City Pokemon Center, Amber's POV, 4:30 PM-**

We exit the Pokemon Center, having already been to the Pokemart. I walk beside Terry, immersed in my own thoughts, but not enough so that I fail to notice our surroundings. The city of Jubilife is large, not anywhere near so to that of Lumiose, but with a similar setting. As we walk towards the route to take us to Sandgem, I take note of the looks we're getting. Diantha and Drasna are known worldwide, as is Terry, I suppose. While I can tell that Diantha and Drasna don't mind the attention, signing the occasional autograph as we travel, Terry keeps his head down, not talking much.

Soon enough, we arrive at the Route entrance. Both Mom and Diantha hug me.

"Take care!" I wave as they set off. Soon enough they're out of sight.

I turn to Terry, who's watching me, a hint curiosity in his eyes. "What?" I say, a bit defensively.

"Nothing," he says quickly. "You ready to go, then? I shouldn't have any trouble getting us to TwinLeaf Town."

I nod my head, but hesitate. "Does it hurt?"

He raises a brow at me. "Teleporting? No, but it does take some getting used to. I wouldn't blame you if you were weak in the knees after we land."

I sigh heavily and nod. "Alright. Do it before I change my mind."

He chuckles and places his hand on my shoulder. With a sudden, light headed feeling, a white light flares around us. It vanishes as quickly as it appeared, however, and when it suddenly fades I stumble slightly. I steady myself, staring around at our surroundings, which changed drastically, yet seem much more familiar.

The small town of Twinleaf looks just as peaceful as I remember it from my last visit, about 5 years ago. We seemed to have landed in the middle of the main street, and since I recognize our surroundings, I motion for Terry to follow me. We set off up the path, heading to the edge of town. Within a few minutes, we end up by the small pond that I used to swim in. I spot a couple of Wooper hanging out in the shallows. Terry gets a quick pokedex reading on them, ("for Professor Juniper, I'm sure she'll be interested in Out-of-Region Pokemon,") before we head into the woods. We follow a small, well-kept dirt road that snakes through the trees for a few moments, until a quaint wood cabin comes into view.

As we near the door, it opens to reveal a barrel-chested man in his late seventies. His face is marred by an ugly looking burn down one side, but underneath the gruffness lies the grandfather of mine that I know and love. I fling myself into his arms, and he hugs me tightly.

"Amber, it's good to see you!" He says, his voice hoarse but excited.

"Hi, Grandpa! It's good to see you, too." I say. As I extract myself from his bear hug, I notice Terry, whose hanging back, seemingly unsure.

I laugh. "Sorry, I forgot. Terry, this is my Grandpa, Derrill Thompson. Grandpa, this is Terry Collins."

Terry steps forward and shakes hands with my Grandpa. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Thompson," he says formally.

Grandpa laughs. "Call me Derrill." He turns to me. "Well, Amber, it looks like you got a good guy after all!" He winks.

It's hard to tell who turns a deeper shade of red at this, Terry or myself. "N-no, sir," Terry stammers. "That's not the case! I'm just escorting her to Oreburgh while she gets used to roughing it. I-I'm taken already anyway," he adds, blushing even deeper.

Grandpa only laughs harder at this. "I was only joking, sonny. Thanks for taking care of my granddaughter." He beckons us inside. "My wife is out shopping at present, she'll be back soon."

As we travel over the threshold, however, the full effect of what he said hits me. " _I-I'm taken already anyway,"_ he had said. I don't know why this bothers me so much, but I'm certain now that his love is for that of his pokemon.

 **-Twinleaf Town, Thompson House, Amber's POV, 6:45 PM-**

We decided to spend the rest of the day at my grandparent's house, since it was already too late to head out anyway. Soon enough, Grandma arrived, her arms laden down with groceries. Terry nearly gave her a heart attack when he used his Telekinesis to relieve her of her packages.

He nearly gave me one, too, but I didn't tell anyone that.

Soon enough, a delicious aroma was wafting through the cabin, and by 6:30 we were enjoying another of Grandma's incredible dinners.

As we ate, Terry kept stealing glances at my grandfather, as if to ask something. When he finally noticed, he chuckled, setting down his fork and addressing the older teen.

"You're wondering how I got this burn, aren't you, boy?" he asked.

Terry flinched. "Was it that obvious? I didn't want to ask, incase it was private…"

"Bah," Grandpa said. "Curiosity isn't a sin. I used to be a Pokemon Ranger, see, one of the best of my time. I was out on patrol one day in Johto, watching over the Lake of Rage. The Ranger Union's Johto outpost had heard about a raging Gyarados that needed to be kept watch over."

Grandpa grunted. "Needed to take a relaxant, more like. It erupted out of the lake, out of nowhere, and tried to attack a family that had been picnicking near the water. I got them to safety, but my styler was nearly destroyed and I got a stream of boiling water down my neck here. That was the end of my career, that was…" he trails off sadly.

I glance from Derril's sorrow-filled face to Terry's thoughtful one, unsure of what to say. I finally decide on words and am about to open my mouth when Terry speaks up.

"I don't know if you've been given the option before," he says, his voice quiet and hesitant. "Psychics like myself… we can do more than just move things around. Illusions, telepathy… Healing abilities, to some extent," he adds, his tone deadly serious.

"W-what?" both Grandpa and I stutter at the same time, grandma gasps softly.

"Don't get your hopes up!" Terry says hastily. "I don't know if it would work or not, if it's that old then it would be scar tissue from the burn, that's completely different from a fresh wound. I just figure, we could give it a try. Whether it works or not, though, if we try it we ought to do it today. It's too late to travel now, anyway. If I do it tomorrow morning I'll exhaust myself and won't be able to do anything but sleep. Tonight, though, I can just go to bed afterwards."

He glances at my grandfather, looking confident. "I think I could heal it, at least part way."

 **-Living Room, Amber's POV, 10 PM-**

I hear the door snap shut and jump to my feet, grandma following suit. Terry emerges from the hallway, looking like a dead man walking. He collapses on the couch clumsily, chin slumping on his chest. A moment later his Gardevoir does the same, though moments later she taps the pendant on his necklace, returning to the pokeball that hangs in the middle.

Terry takes a moment to compose himself. He moans slightly. "I… we did what we could…" he smiles weakly.

"What? How is he?" I ask, but Terry merely points to the door.

Grandma sighs. "Sleep, dear."

The teen doesn't object, instead he stretches out on the couch, going out like a light.

I glance at my grandmother. "That's… wow. He was fine just after dinner. Healing drains him that much?"

She shrugs, opening her mouth to speak. Whatever she was going to say, however, got caught in her throat as her eyes turn to someone behind me. I spin around so fast I crick my neck. I rub it slightly as I gaze at the door, which had opened again.

Grandfather ambles out of the doorway, his usual bulk and handsome face clear… clear… CLEAR! I let out a sob of joy as I rush over and nearly push him to the ground with my hug.

He laughs heartily, his voice gruff but no longer hoarse. "He did it, eh?"

And so he had. The scar that had dominated the side of his neck and face for as long as I could remember had faded to what seemed like a small pink patch, only a few inches in length. The rest of his skin was normal.

Grandpa lets go of me to kiss his wife, before turning to gaze at Terry, whose sleep went undisturbed by our cheering. "He's impressive, he is…" Grandpa said slowly. "I hope he'll be ok."

"What do you mean, dear?" Grandma asked.

"I mean, Alice, that he's… scared," grandpa finished carefully. "He's gone through a lot, he has. He was telling me about it while they were healing me. He kept the details scarce, of course, but it was easy to tell just how bad it was. I suppose as long as that Gardevoir of his is by his side, though, they'll be fine," he finishes happily.

"You don't mean…" Grandma starts.

"Yeah, they're a couple." Grandpa confirms. "Didn't say that specifically, but again, by the way they acted it was obvious. Unlike most of the bastards out there, though, he treats her well and they actually do love each other. I wonder…"

"What?" I ask.

"Oh, nothing." He responds quickly. "Just don't give him too much trouble, mind. Now, off to bed with you, you've got traveling to do tomorrow!"

 _ **(Author's Note: I know the story is progressing slowly, but don't worry. It will get going soon. -Orthros)**_


	5. Chapter IV: Company in the Forest

**-Amber's Grandparents House, Terry's POV, 8:45 AM-**

I woke as suddenly as if someone had yelled in my ear, but far from feeling rested, my body ached as though I had run a mile at a full clip. I groaned quietly as I sat up, rubbing my eyes. Looking around, I see that Amber is already awake, rummaging through her new backpack, which she had purchased in Jubilife. She catches my eye and gives a small wave.

"Sleep well?" she asks by way of greeting.

I shrug in response. "Well enough… What's up?" I add, for she had emitted a small sob, though I doubt she wanted me to hear it.

She froze for a moment, like a deer caught in the headlights, before getting up from her seat, leaving her pack behind. A moment later she had sat down next to me, staring at her knees.

"I want... I want to thank you, Terry. For helping my Grandpa, and for helping me. Why, though?" She adds, staring at me. "You had met me barely twenty minutes before you agreed to such a big job, and you healed Grandpa at cost of your own energy…"

I look up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "You know, I've been wondering about that myself. I suppose it could be that I wanted something to do… Though I suppose… nevermind," I cut myself off. "The point is, I don't mind helping out. I got these powers, I might as well use them," I finish happily.

I shake some of my cobwebs off by enveloping Amber's pack in my telekinetic grip and levitating it over to her. "Shall we get going, then?"

She nods, wiping her eyes and turning excitedly to the door. "I already said bye to my grandparents."

With that, I get up from the couch I had been laying on, grabbing my pack and slinging it over my shoulders. As we're heading out the door, I realize my fingers are subconsciously massaging the Luxury Ball that hangs from my pendant. I breathe deeply, focusing on the inhabitant of the pokeball.

 _How are you, Angel? Did you sleep well?_ I direct my thoughts to the love of my dreams.

It takes her a moment to respond. " _I'm alright,"_ she says, though she too sounds tired. " _We should stop in town and get something to eat, though, I could eat a rapidash…"_

I let out a snort of laughter, causing Amber to turn around, walking backwards and giving me a curious look. "What're you laughing at…? Oh," she adds, the answer dawning on her. "You two and your telepathic conversations. It wouldn't hurt to include me on those, you know, hint hint, wink wink."

I smirk as we enter the main part of town. "Later, yeah. It's been awhile since I've had to consciously add someone to our conversation, to be honest."

She shrugs, spinning back around to face forwards again as we walk up the stairs to a small diner. It isn't until after we order some breakfast to go and have nearly exited Twinleaf that she asks; "What do you mean, 'consciously add someone?'

"Actually do anything to allow them to listen in. My friend Alex-" I cut off, grimacing, and while I don't say anything, she gets the idea.

"I'm sorry, I didn-"

"No, no," I cut across her, "It's alright, I'm fine."

I take a moment to take a deep breath, before continuing. "My friend Alex was bonded to a Gallade named Nicky. He didn't develop strong telepathy, he couldn't even talk to others, but he could listen in. He just answered out loud, but the point is I haven't really added anyone to a conversation before. I can do it, though. Give me a bit of time to refresh myself."

 **-Route 201, Amber's POV, 7:55 PM-**

"Those clouds gathered fast, didn't they?" I say, pointing into the slowly setting sun, which at that moment was blocked out by some viciously black storm clouds. We had been traveling most of the day, and so far while it had been quiet, it had also been clear until moments ago.

Angel, the Gardevoir, glances nervously upwards as well.

" _We can't be far from Sandgem now, can we?"_ I hear her voice, like a soft wind-chime, in the back of my head. I glance at her, once again taking in her slender, blue skinned form. Terry, after having added me into their thought-bubble or whatever the hell he called it, had let her out of her pokeball to walk with us. I did the same with Fate, and the two had engaged in a seemingly friendly conversation as we traveled.

I had admittedly been nervous about truly meeting Terry's girlfriend at first, but she seemed alright. I could tell why they would want to be closer than the average pokemon and trainer, at any rate.

Terry glances skyward, too. "Not too far, no. I dunno, though, it doesn't seem like we're gonna make it. It's getting dark enough as is with the sun and if it starts pouring it might be better to make camp for tonight."

"We should go ahead and set up now then," I say, "So we won't get too wet."

Terry nods at me. "Good call." He points to a spot a short distance away, covered in green grass, with some tree roots around the edges. "First lesson; Camping spots. You don't wanna get wet, and you don't want too much mud on your tent. Try to find a spot with a lot of strong, deep green grass, or else roots if you can stand them. Get a good leaf cover if you can, too, so you won't get too much water falling on top of you. We've got water proof tents, but a bit of extra protection never hurt anyone."

A few minutes of shuffling around, unrolling the tents and rearranging poles later, our two tents were set up. Terry was good at it, creating a roaring fire within minutes. My fondness of him deepened further after I swore loudly, having dropped a rock on my toe, and when I had looked over embarrassedly, he laughed. "As long as you keep it between us and not in public, I don't give a damn."

"Alright, not bad," Terry says as he lays on the ground a few minutes later, his back against a tree trunk. "Good timing, too," he adds, as the thick drops of rain start thundering down. However, well covered by the roof of leaves above us, we're quite dry. He glances at the tents, where a slight shuffling coming from his informed us that Angel, who had turned in a few minutes earlier, had not yet fallen asleep.

He sighs. "I'm gonna rest my eyes a bit, I'm still wiped from healing your grandfather…"

I nod, pulling a book from my backpack and leaning against the other tree. "I'll wake you up in a couple hours," I say, and he waves his hand slightly in response. The fire crackles happily away as I turn the pages of my entertainment.

I don't know how much time passes that I read by the light of the fire, though it's long enough for both Terry's and Angel's breathing to become deep and rhythmic, before I get a sense of suspense that isn't at all related to the book I'm reading. The back of my neck tingles as I mark my page subconsciously. Glancing behind me, to the small passage of space between the tents, I flinch and do a doubletake.

Staring through the leaves of a thick bush, two shockingly red eyes, one covered slightly by a shock of green hair, were watching silently. For a split second the unknown being and I locked eyes, before they vanished and I heard the leaves rustling as it ran off.

I glance at Terry for a moment, before sighing. "I'm soo going to regret this," I said to myself as I covered my head as best I could with my arms and, having donned my windbreaker and thrown my pack across my shoulders, I ran off into the trees and into the storm.

I squinted at the ground, following the light footprints of the stalking pokemon, trying not to let my teeth chatter or to trip over any tree roots. A few minutes of stumbling around later I spot a cliffside looming ahead. The wall towers above me, and there in the face, hidden slightly by a bush, was a cave. It's entrance was about the size of a person, giving me no doubt that my quarry was through there. I stopped at the entrance, nervously glancing left and right, before walking slowly into the cave.

It was maybe ten feet square of a room, illuminated in a fiery red glow. I looked at the ceiling, noting the sources to be some red gems embedded in the stone. A moment's remembrance told me they were Heat Rocks.

My eyes were torn from the sight by a growl coming from the back of the cave. I stared at the pokemon in front of me, laying against the wall.

For a split second I thought it was a Gardevoir, but quickly that thought was extinguished. Where Gardevoir had a dress-like skin, this pokemon had skin that almost represented army fatigues. It's long, blade-shaped arms were set on it's knees, and while it didn't visibly threaten me, the growling told me more than enough. I slowly shake my head at the Gallade, raising my hands in a peaceful gesture.

"I'm not here to hurt you," I start nervously, but cut myself off as I take a closer look at the Gallade. His face, arms, whole body in fact seems to be covered in cuts and bruises, most of which seem partially healed as if they were old wounds. "What happened to you?" I ask.

To my surprise, the Gallade winced as if the question had caused him more pain. I took a small, tentative step forward and he shook his head nervously, the message clear as day: _Don't come any closer or I will hurt you._

"I can't leave you like that!" I say, gesturing to his many wounds. For a moment he's stock still, during which something sparking in his eye; _was that longing?_ Before he suddenly lashes one arm out at thin air. A thin strip of pink energy soars out from the appendage, carving a gash into the stone between us. Another look his eyes said plainly, _Fine, but you stay there._

I nod acceptingly and sit on the floor of the cave against the wall. For a few minutes I stay silent, looking anywhere but at him. When I look back, I'm surprised to see three pokeballs on the floor next to him. It seemed he moved a small stone from the floor, uncovering their hidden location.

"You belong to someone?" I ask, surprised.

He looks at me again, but rather than being angry, his expression is one that only confuses me more: grief. He nods slowly.

After a moment, I steel my nerves and stand. Slowly, peacefully, I walk over the gash he made in the floor and sit down beside him. He doesn't move, but stiffens when my shoulder rubs against his.

"You need treatment," I say quietly. "And if you have friends with you, they might need it too. Let me help you," I finish pleadingly.

After a few painstaking moments, he slowly nods his head.

Having received confirmation, I take my pack off my shoulders and unzip it, all the while keeping my movements deliberately slow. I took out a potion and glanced at him nervously. "This is going to sting a bit," I state.

He nods, looking at me as if to say _get it over with_ , so I start spraying. He involuntarily flinches as I address his wounds, First his legs, then chest. I note a jagged crack down what I figure must be his heart casing, from what Angel had said about hers in passing. The rift seemed to have scarred over, but when I glance at him questioningly he turns his head away. He must've been quite a fighter.

I get to his head, and he closes his eyes, moaning slightly as I apply the fourth potion's contents to his cheeks, which were deeply cut. Once I finish I motion for him to turn over. He shakes his head, instead standing. I suppose he didn't want to expose his vulnerable side to me.

I kept at it, going back down his body. I was nearly finished as I started spraying a particularly nasty cut on his leg. He gasped painfully, losing balance as his leg buckled. I caught him by the shoulders, holding him upright for a moment before he righted himself. He looked at me with a hint of embarrassment in his eyes, before allowing me to finish.

When I was done he sat back against the wall, his cuts still looking bad but better than before. He looked me in the eyes with a thankful expression. A shiver suddenly ran up my spine. I shook my head slightly and nodded, sitting down next to him again.

I point to the other two pokeballs. "What about them?" I ask.

Gallade looks nervously at me, before picking the pokeballs up and pressing their buttons. One is empty, but the other releases a pokemon in a flash of light. It takes me a moment to realize that the pokemon I'm looking at is a Riolu. Her color scheme is odd however, with pure white fur replacing what should be blue, and the normally grey trim turned a deep, harsh black.

She's sleeping at the moment, lying in the Gallade's arms. She doesn't seem to be hurt, which is a relief. After a few moments the Gallade returns her to her pokeball.

After that, Gallade sighs heavily, pulling his legs up to his chest and laying his arms and head upon them. He looks so dejected that I can't help but put an arm across his back, rubbing slowly.

"You should come with me."

The words slip from my mouth before I know what I'm doing, but I mean them all the same. The Gallade looks up at me, that strange look of longing momentarily passing over his eyes again. He looks down just as quickly, but that was enough for me.

Making his decision for him, I scoop up the pokeballs and put them in my coat pocket. I pack away my potion supplies, and when I'm finally ready I glance at him again. The Gallade sat quite motionless, a look of utter disbelief on his face.

"Well?" I state. He looks at me, a flash of happy features for a split second, the first I've seen on him. "Come on, then!"

I pull him to his feet, but it's clear that the walk he had taken to watch Terry and I earlier was all he was capable of doing. I pull out his pokeball and, with a reassuring smile, flash the red beam on him, returning him to his pokeball.

I'm at the cave exit when I do a doubletake and pull the pokeball back out of my pocket.

Written across the sphere in lines of minuscule sapphires is the name "Nicky."

My breath catches in my throat and I quickly rush off into the rain soaked night, now almost too dark to see.

Terry's awake when I get back, and one look tells me he's more pissed off than I would care to see him.

"Where were you?" He asks angrily, motioning to his watch. "It's nearly midnight."

I shake my head vigorously, sitting down as close to the fire as I could get without getting burned.

"Where we-" he started to repeat, but I cut across him.

"Look who I found," I say, thrusting Nicky's pokeball at him.

He takes a look at the name and his mouth drops open in disbelief. "What the hell?!" He yells, nearly dropping the pokeball. "What- how-"

"I found him in a cave, cut up all to hell," I explained, telling my story as I took the ball back from him. "I earned his trust and treated his wounds as best I could," I finished

Terry shook his head, exasperated. "I never thought I would see that name again…"

"What do you think, then?" I ask him.

"I think it's incredible that you convinced him to come with you," Terry responds, sounding genuinely amazed. "I don't think Nicky trusted anyone he met except Alex and myself, and I assumed Alex's death… Well, I thought it would be worse than ever."

I nod slowly. "Well, we should get down to the pokemon center tomorrow in Sandgem Town, first thing. He'll be ok for now."

Terry nods firmly. "Alright. We should get some shuteye."

I crawl into my tent a moment later, hearing Terry do the same in his. I sigh, staring at the pokeball in my hand, the thin writing of the Gallade's name shining softly in the light of my flashlight. Soon enough, I slip into a dreamless sleep, the pokeball cupped against my chest.


	6. Chapter V: Powers Unveiled-Nicky's Story

**-Sandgem Town, Amber's POV, Noon-**

"We made it!" I exclaim excitedly as we enter the small city.

Terry chuckles, breathing in the salty scent of the nearby sea. He glances at me with an amused expression on his face. "What? You thought we wouldn't?"

I shrug teasingly at him. "No, I just thought, with how slow going you are, that we wouldn't make it till nightfall."

Terry fakes a frown, laughing. "C'mon," he says. "We can take our pokemon to the pokemon center to be cared for."

With that, we set off down the main road. It was a brightly colored town, with many small houses sitting on lawns of vibrant green grass. Soon enough we arrived at the Pokemon center, easy to spot due to its customary red roof.

As we step inside the doors, an older, well-dressed man walks up to us, to exit the building. Terry gives a start of recognition.

"Professor Rowan!"

The man turns, his beard hiding most of his stern looking face. "Yes? Who might you be?"

Terry shakes the Professor's hand. "Hello, Sir. I'm Terry Collins, and this is my friend Amber."

A look of surprise momentarily floats over the Professor's expression. "Ahh, I remember seeing your face on the news. It's a pleasure to meet you."

As he shakes my hand, Terry says "Sir, would it be ok if Amber and I stop by your lab in a few minutes? Amber needs to get re-registered."

"Sure!" Rowan replies. "I'll be ready for you."

We bade Professor Rowan goodbye and head to the front desk of the Center. Nurse Joy greets us with her usual motherly smile. Terry hands the lady his pokeballs, but when I go to do the same, Terry puts his hand over mine.

"Can we have a word with you for a moment, Joy?" He says quietly, "Alone?"

Joy looks bewildered but motions for us to follow nonetheless, leading us to a less crowded area. We head back behind the counter and enter a small room that appears to hold medicine bottles of all shapes and sizes.

"Yes?" Joy asks after she closes the door.

"You recognise me, right?" Terry asks the lady. At her nod, he continues; "Well, my… deceased friend, Alex… When he was killed, his Gallade, Nicky, was out of his pokeball at the time. He took the two other pokeballs under Alex's possession and teleported out of the plane."

Terry looks at his feet. "I thought he'd died, there's no way he could have teleported all the way to the ground, his psychic power wasn't strong enough…. But he didn't."

He motions for me to carry on the story, so I explain my late-night adventure to Joy, whose frown deepens the longer I go on. When I finish, she nods, taking the two inhabited pokeballs from me.

"Alright," she says kindly, "I'll be gentle. You'll be back tonight, then?"

Terry nods in agreeance. "Yes, Thanks, Nurse Joy. If he's up to it later, I would like to speak to Nicky as well," Terry adds.

Without waiting for a reply, Terry opens the door and exits the room. After a moment's hesitation I follow. A few seconds later we're back out in the sunshine, headed in the direction of a small hill. Perched on the hill lies a windmill next to an observatory-like structure, built of white and grey stone.

As we enter the building, a mildly harassed looking scientist points us into the back room. Upon entry, we spot Professor Rowan talking to two people about my age, a girl dressed in a black tank top and super short pink skirt and meticulously brushed blueish black hair, along an impatient looking guy with blond hair and an orange and white stripped shirt.

The Professor doesn't seem notice us at first as he dismisses the teens. The guy suddenly turns and runs pell-mell towards us and the door, realizing too late that we're in it. I jump out of the way as he barrels straight into Terry, knocking him to the floor with a loud crash.

"Terry!" I yelp. "You ok?"

Terry holds his forehead in his hands for a moment, kneading his knuckles into it. "Yeah," he responds, "I'm alright. If I'm not, though, that kid's getting my medical bills," he adds angrily.

The other boy had already pulled himself to his feet. He grinned sheepishly at Terry and held out his hand, pulling the older teen to his feet.

"Sorry about that," he says, rubbing the back of his neck. "I get a bit carried away sometimes. The name's Barry."

"Terry," Terry responds, shaking his hand.

I snort. "Barry and Terry, huh? Next thing you know they'll be getting a room together."

"Oi!" Both of them shout at the same time.

I only laugh harder at this, and a moment later they join in as well. A voice calls out over our laughter. "I hate to interrupt a budding bromance, but Barry and I have some work to get done."

I look over as the girl and Professor Rowan join us. "Hi, I'm Dawn," she says formally, holding out her hand.

"Amber," I reply.

Barry grins. "Dawn's right, we've gotta get going. I suppose we'll start on route 202 then, eh Dawn?" At her nod of agreeance, Barry raises a hand in farewell. "Laters!"

As he and Dawn leave the Lab, Professor Rowan directs his attention to me, an amused smile on his face. "So, getting registered for Sinnoh, eh?"

"Yeah," I reply. "I already got registered in Kalos, but since I'm not starting to journey there, it would be best for me to have a professional in-region to get help from if I need it."

"Fair enough," the professor replies. He takes my pokedex from me and inserts it into one of his computers.

"This will take a few minutes," he says, sitting in an old, beat up looking chair, "So make yourselves comfortable."

Terry and I pull up chairs from nearby. After a moment of awkward silence, Terry speaks up. "Professor, I was wondering if you could advise me... Advise us."

Rowan looks mildly surprised. "With?"

Terry hesitates for a moment, before launching into the story we had told Nurse Joy. When he finishes, he adds, "How do you think we should approach this?"

Professor Rowan looks Terry sharply in the eyes, but Terry holds his gaze. "My boy, I'm not quite sure. I'm not exactly a Psychic Type Expert... You've heard of Katie Winters?" He adds.

It's Terry's turn to look surprised. "Yeah, I know her well."

"You know she lives here in Sinnoh, right? In Floaroma Town."

Terry's eyes widen at this. "She would know what to do. Thanks, Professor!"

At that moment, the computer dings and my pokedex is ejected onto the desk. Rowan hands it back to me. "Good luck, and welcome to Sinnoh," he says.

As Terry and I get into the outdoors once more, Terry glances at me. "Katie Winters would know how to best approach this. Nicky and Alex were extremely close. If he allowed you to take him with you, it means he trusts you at least a bit, but that doesn't mean everything is better. I want a higher opinion," he finishes.

I nod. "We can head there before going to Oreburgh, right?"

"We should be able to," Terry agrees. We arrive at the crest of the hill, the whole town spread out below us. Terry stares out at the sea, his emerald green eyes reflecting a kind of sadness that I don't understand. He sighs. "Anyway, we've got most of today to hang out, since Nicky won't be healed until nightfall."

 **-Sandgem Pokemon Center, Amber's POV, 7:45 PM-**

I watch nervously as Terry talks to Nurse Joy for a moment, before he follows her down a hall in the direction of the wards. Fate lays on my lap, in a light sleep. We had participated in a couple of battles after talking to Professor Rowan, but I still haven't been able to meet Nicky and the Riolu, whose name I now know is Athena.

Finally I can't stand it any longer, so I return Fate to her pokeball and walk down the hall. I pass Nurse Joy on the way but play it off as though I were heading to my hotel room for the night. I know Terry wanted to talk with the Gallade in private first, which is why I stayed behind at first, but I feel this is too important to pass up.

A few minutes later I arrive at the door, which is open a crack. From what little I can see, the room is a pristine white, with a simple bed in the middle and a chair off to one side, which Terry occupies. The Gallade, Nicky, lays in the bed, eyes closed.

Terry speaks up. "Nicky… I'm sorry." His voice his hoarse and I realize he's crying. "I'm so, so sorry…"

Nicky's eyes remain closed, but on of his bladed arms moves slightly, resting over Terry's hand. It grips tightly.

A moments silence, then Terry asks quietly; "What… what happened that night, after you teleported out?"

For a moment there is silence, then he speaks. "I appeared about 30 feet above the treeline… When I fell I got badly cut and made a big noise, so lots of the wild pokemon came to see what was going on… They didn't like me, I don't know why but I only barely got away and I got injured even worse than I had been before…"

He hesitates for a moment. "Finally I found that cave. I let Riolu and Lillipup out of their pokeballs and told them what had happened... " He let out a sob. "And Kelly r-ran away before I could stop her and I never found her… Athena was in shock but I cared for her as best I could… The wild pokemon kept trying to attack me which is why I couldn't get away from the forest… Until you two showed up."

Terry sits in stunned silence and I realize I've been holding my breath and let it out silently. I'm shocked at the heartbreak of the tale, my mind blank.

I hear a chair scratch the floor and too late realize I've been caught as the door swings inward to reveal Terry's tear-stained face as he looks at me. He doesn't seem at all surprised to see me, though.

"C'mon in," he says, his voice shaking.

I enter and sit down on the edge of Nicky's bed. He finally opens his eyes slightly as I tentatively put my hand on his. He sighs, shivering slightly at my touch but doesn't pull away.

I look sadly at Terry. "Who's Kelly?"

"A Lillipup that Alex befriended back in Unova," Terry responds quietly. "She was a real energetic pokemon and really fun to be... around…"

He looks up at me seriously. "How did you hear that?"

I'm shocked by the harshness of his voice as he stands, glowering at me.

I shake my head nervously. "W-what? I assumed you added me to his thoughts!"

Terry shakes his head but sits back down nonetheless. "No, I didn't. I haven't been near him until now," he says. "And he's not bonded with you either, that takes time."

I shake my head, bewildered, and look at my hands. Then I shout out loud.

Terry smacks his hand over my mouth to keep me from yelling more and disturbing the other patients, but he too is staring in disbelief at my hands.

In each palm, only the size of a small marble, lays a crackling, glowing sphere of blue light, pulsating, I realize quickly, in sync with the Gallade's breathing.

 _ **(Author's Note: A lot goes down in this chapter, eh? I'm not going to reveal anything else, not yet at least. Keep in mind though that the story is uphill from here. Good Luck, happy reading/writing! -Orthros)**_


	7. Chapter VI: Meeting the Requirements

**_(Author's Note: Hello, readers. I figure it's high time I come to terms with something that has been a problem since the start of 'Gallade, My Brother' but that I have refused to see until now; Quality of work._**

 ** _I've been looking at my recent chapters and have been pissed off at myself. My detailing is much worse than usual and my word count has only been at my target (2500 - 3500) once since starting this story. Now, I know a lot of people reading this are continuing the story from 'Gardevoir, My Angel' and I know that if you take a look at the quality of that story, especially its later chapters, that you will agree there is a major quality drop between the two stories. I'm sick of uploading half assed content for you guys, you don't want it and I don't want it. That being said, I swear from this point on my quality will be much better than it has been so far. Rather than ignoring these issues I'm going to meet them head on and make quality my main focus. Of course, when it comes to quality vs quantity about 99% of the time you can only choose one or the other; I choose quality. With that said, I apologize in advance for what are probably going to be some longer waiting times between chapters._**

 ** _Good luck, enjoy the story. -Orthros_**

 ** _PS: Rearranging the headings of chapters to the middle of the page, it looks better.)_**

 **-Sandgem Pokemon Center, Amber's POV, 8:45 PM-**

I stare in utter disbelief at my hands. A minor panic sets in, quickly increasing when the orbs start expanding and warping. Terry kneels down on the floor next to me, concern flashing in his eyes. He grabs my chin gently in his hand and turns my head to look him in the eyes.

"Take a deep breath," he instructs calmly. "Calm down, that's it. Focus."

I do, albeit a shuddering one, focusing on the small flecks of blue in his green eyes. A moment later the blue light from the spheres dims once again, returning to the original size. Terry puts his hands on the backs of mine and slowly grips, closing my fingers over my fists. A split second before my fingers hit the orbs I'm afraid it will hurt, but out of nowhere a surge of calming bravery blossoms in the back of my head, and I relax once more.

My fingers touch the spheres and they vanish, momentary wisps of blue smoke being their only sign of having existed. The second my fingers complete fists, I groan and sink back onto my chair, suddenly exhausted as though I had run a hard race. Terry puts a tender hand across my cheek. He's ice cold to the touch. After a moment I spot his eyes glowing a soft blue. I feel a weird sensation of rejuvenation spread from my cheek, through my head, clearing my thoughts.

I look pointedly at him and he takes his hand away. "Healing?"

He nods, already showing signs of exhaustion. "Yeah. I know what you're going through. I also did that bravery thing. Your first time is draining as hell, eh?"

I shake my head confusedly. "What do you mean? How can I do… whatever I just did? Am I a psychic?!"

Terry ponders the question for a moment, turning his head to the Gallade on the bed beside us. After a moment I realize that Nicky is asleep, breathing deeply. At the sight, I feel calmer, more at ease. It's a moment more before I notice that my breathing is in sync with his. It makes me nervous and I consciously have to stop it. The second I try, Nicky visibly winces in his sleep as though stabbed.

"Relax and let it happen," Terry urges, and so I do.

For a few minutes all is silent. I consider this new development. Surely there's no way I could be a psychic… After all, I've had little to no exposure to psychic types my entire life until very recently. I know there are a few psychic types in Santalune, under the care of some more experienced veteran trainers, but they, like the ones I have recently met, had been pretty antisocial, keeping close to their partners.

"I don't think you're a psychic," Terry breaks the silence, though he almost whispers.

I shake my head at him. "How else do you explain those… those orbs, then?"

Terry takes a deep breath. "Those were Aura Spheres, Amber."

I raise a brow at this. Of course I know what Aura Spheres are. Back at school, one of the most dreamed of pokemon to have as a partner would be a Lucario, kids would daydream about it and discuss it for hours on end. "But that would mean…" I trail off.

Terry nods. "I think you can manipulate Aura. The official term for that is 'Aura Guardian.' Granted, that's a title reserved only for those who have mastered it."

I stare at my hands in disbelief once again. Terry moves to sit on the edge of Nicky's bed, though he takes special care not to touch the Gallade even through the covers. I turn my eyes toward Nicky, who's resting peacefully now that I've stopped trying to differ my breathing from him. I have a feeling that if I put my ear to his heart casing, I would find our heartbeats to be in harmony.

Terry glances at me. "I won't pretend to be a master of Aura, but I know a little bit. As a psychic, I've learned a bit about the Path of Aura, mostly it's differences to telekinetics," he starts. "I know that Nicky, as a Gallade, can manipulate Aura fairly easily, though not fluently at first. Alex and he never really found a need to learn it. At present, your Aura and his are forming a powerful bond. That's probably why you were able to understand him."

I start to panic a little at this. "B-but," I stutter. "I'm new at this, I don't have experience caring for pokemon, at least not enough to care for his needs. And I don't know the first thing about the Path of Aura!"

Nicky groans and Terry leans forward, gripping my hand soothingly. "Relax," he says. "Panicking won't help either of you. As for caring for your pokemon, I've got plenty of experience with that. And I'm sure there is someone in Sinnoh that can teach you a thing or two about Aura," he adds.

I nod, albeit nervously, and take a deep breath. "Continue?" I ask a bit pleadingly.

Terry chuckles. "Like I said, at the moment you two are starting to form your bond. It's not complete yet, though. The best thing for you to do is remain calm. Perhaps we can get you a cot to lay on in here tonight. However," he adds, sounding confused. "I don't understand how you could've started a bond so quickly. Not if you don't have any relations to Aura… Your parents. What pokemon did they have, if any?"

I raise a brow at Terry, but answer the question nonetheless. "Well, mom, you saw her, she's a Dragon Master… Dad… well, I don't know… I haven't seen him for nearly three years now," I trail off sadly.

Terry puts his hand on his chin, covering his mouth, which muffles his reply slightly; "I'm sorry to hear that… It's something we have in common." His voice hardens with an unmistakable hint of venom.

I ponder this new development curiously for a moment, but Terry motions for me to continue. A look in his eyes tells me that, however much I may want to, changing the subject will not happen.

"Well, he had a turtwig, though she wasn't nicknamed at the time. He was a ranger, see, and Fate was his partner pokemon…" My eyes widened. "But before that, he had a Partner Meditite! They can use Aura right?" Terry nods. "She evolved under his care too. I hardly see her. After Dad disappeared, she went to live with another trainer in Santalune. Mom was worried she might get depressed otherwise, they were pretty close."

Terry nodded his head. "Your dad either gained the abilities of Aura by bonding with her, or they were passed to him at birth by one or both of his parents. My guess would be you inherited his powers, but since you haven't been exposed to any pokemon with the same abilities that you've made a close bond with until now, they've been too subtle to notice."

I nod slowly. "You know, I've always thought I have been able to understand what a pokemon is trying to say uncannily well…"

Terry makes an agreeing gesture in the air with his hand. "That would be an Aura version of Telepathy, I think, though it would be extremely underdeveloped." He glances at his watch. "I say we talk more tomorrow. I'm going to tell Nurse Joy what's going on and get you a cot to sleep on in here. While you're still creating this bond, it's best if the two of you stick together," he explains, in response to my questioning look.

I nod tiredly and he leaves the room as I lean back against my chair. I reach out one hand, gently massaging Nicky's shoulder. I notice that while a few minutes ago he seemed calm, now I see subtle things in the way he breathes that tells me he's scared, and sad. I feel naturally prone to protect him, though I've only known him a little while.

 _Protect him. Oh, please!_ I think to myself. After all, he's been to Hell and back, from what I heard about his participation in the battle against Team Plasma.

After a moment I notice that I had subconsciously changed the movement of my hand. It rubbed a joint in his neck, and he appeared to relax slightly. What could I _possibly_ do to protect _him?_

"You can be there for him," a voice sounds from behind me. I turn to see Terry return, a camping cot under one arm, which he proceeds to set up by the window.

"What do you mean?" I ask him after a moment, deciding to ignore the fact that he read my mind.

Terry sighs. "Do you honestly think I protect my Gardevoir?" At my nod, he snorts. "Maybe occasionally, but for the most part she can easily take care of herself. Hell, I'm willing to bet that if she was put on the spot she'd be stronger than me."

As he says this, he glances down at his chest and forces his hand to fall to his side; it had been massaging the Luxury Ball on his pendant. Apparently I'm not the only one with active hands.

He sighs. "Our pokemon can only go so far on their own. We as trainers are there to provide support, comfort. Look at him," he adds. "He's been through Hell and he's paid for it. I think you know as well as I do that you can't protect him physically. So protect him mentally."

I nod, though for the most part I didn't understand. Terry sighs. "Get some sleep," he says, motioning to the cot. "The both of you should be fit to leave in the morning. It's about a two day journey to Jubilife on foot, so be ready to start walking."

He leaves the room and I walk, stumbling slightly, the few steps to the cot. As soon as I lay down I start to drift off. The feeling is different, however. I feel more at peace than I have in years… Not since dad left. And yet, it doesn't feel like that of a father-daughter bond…

The best I can describe the pull I feel towards the pokemon on the bed next to me is that of a brother and sister.

 _Gallade, my brother..._ The thought brings a slight smile to my face as I drift back into slumber.

 **-Next Day, Route 202, Amber's POV, 2:20 PM-**

So far the day had passed uneventfully, thankfully. I've had enough excitement for a little while. At Nurse Joy's insistence, ("he shouldn't be walking much on those injuries for a few days, dear.") Nicky is kept in his pokeball, though he was unhappy about it. I could tell he hated being cooped up in there, but it was for his well-being, so I turned a deaf ear on his minor complaints.

Yes, that means my telepathy has improved with him. I still can't hear other pokemon clearly, but I can understand him fairly well. Terry warned me as we were setting out that the bond hadn't finished yet, that I'd know when it had. I nodded assent as we set off on route 202.

As we neared a small brooke, my stomach finally succeeded in complaining loudly, despite my fierce attempt to keep it silent. Terry looks around, an incredulous look on his face, before doubling over laughing.

"What? I'm hungry," I say as he wipes tears of mirth from his eyes.

He shakes his head. "I'm sorry, I just haven't heard that kind of a growl before. It was impressive," he says as he waves us off to the side of the road, pulling sandwiches from his pack as he does. He hands one to me and we lay beneath a tree, whose thick leaves offer shade. Terry takes a bite out of his lunch and chews it while his hands pull out his pokeballs. He clicks them open and three pokemon appear beside him; Angel, who lays down beside him, a Boldore, who struts a short ways around the side of the tree to a damp patch of grass to relax, and a Watchog, who grabs Terry's sandwich with a mischievous grin on it's face before he jumps into the branches above us.

Terry fakes a frown. "That's not nice, you know, Ace."

Ace chitters laughter down at him, and a moment later Terry smiles, grabbing a bottled water from his pack.

"Aren't you hungry?" I ask him as he takes a long drink.

Terry shrugs. "Not really, to be honest. I'm used to traveling long distances, so I've got a good bit of stamina."

He stretches out, laying against the tree. Angel sat down beside him and put her head against his chest, sighing with content. He takes a glance at me but otherwise says nothing. I raise a brow at him.

He sighs after a moment. "Keep this quiet, please…" He starts, but I cut him off.

"It's fine," I say. "I've known for a little while now. Grandpa guessed it while you two were healing him."

Terry nods, placing his arms on his Gardevoir's stomach, pulling her closer. "I know that most of the world knows what's going on, but I haven't actually admitted anything yet. I want to get registered before either of us say anything."

"What do you mean, 'registered?'" I ask curiously.

Terry's face reddens. "Well… Officially it means we can start a family together," he says quickly. "But, incase you haven't noticed, there's a rather large amount of prejudice towards pokephilia, and for the most part it's illegal as is. Angel and I are allowed," he adds, glancing at my expression. "Thing is, most people don't know about the exceptions, and even if they did most wouldn't give a shit. What happens if that prejudice is in the form of a cop? I don't want us to get separated over a kiss or something," He finishes sadly.

I nod thoughtfully. "If I assume correctly, you can get registered at most pokemon centers, right? You should do that in Jubilife."

Terry nods, sighing. "I've wanted to for a while now. The problem… You try walking up to Nurse Joy and asking her for a Pokephilia Permit…" His faces turns, if possible, an even brighter red. I stifle a laugh.

"Exactly." Terry says annoyedly. "Anyway… You should let Nicky and Athena out of their pokeballs," he says, changing the subject. "You can meet Athena and Nicky can get some fresh air."

Fate had already been out of her pokeball, travelling with us, but the other two had remained within. I clicked their spheres and they appeared. Nicky's skinny form had healed remarkably well under Nurse Joy's expert hand, but the cuts were still visible and several would probably scar over. He nods to me and Terry in turn, before walking a few feet to a nearby tree. Crouching, he jumps high, an easy fifteen feet, onto a thick branch. He lays in the crook between the branch and the trunk of the tree, one leg dangling over the edge, the other bent in front of him, and sighs as a breeze passes over his face. "Be careful," I call.

Athena, on the other hand, looks at me nervously, before backing up a couple steps. I know this is her first time meeting me, so I smile kindly at her.

"Hello, Athena," I say gently. "My name is Amber. I'm your new trainer." I don't move, waiting for her to come forward on her time.

Instead, she backs up several steps, looking heartbroken. I realize how heavy those words must be for her only now; coming forward would mean accepting that Alex truly was gone. Terry had told me of Alex's misadventure into that damned sewer, but I never imagined it from the Riolu's point of view until now; How she had been horribly abused by her previous trainer, scared shitless of Alex when he appeared right after he abandoned her. How she nearly bled out while running, and she would've been torn apart by the poison types had Alex not found her. He was all she'd had.

I stand momentarily, in my peripheral vision I see Terry and Angel watching the event play out. I kneel down in front of the Riolu, who looks up at me, paralyzed with fear. Slowly, gently, I put one arm below her knees, the other on her back, and I lift her up. I cradle her on my chest, rubbing her back and neck softly. After a moment she starts sobbing uncontrollably into my shoulder. I stand and move back to the tree.

Several minutes pass before she quiets down and slips into a light sleep. I look at Terry.

He nods approvingly. "You said you didn't have any experience? You're a natural then."

I shrug, still stroking Athena's head. "I comforted her, that's all. If the roles had been reversed she would've done the same for me."

"And that," Terry says happily, "Is exactly the point. Not only that, though," he adds, looking at Athena. "You're going to develop an Aura Bond with Athena, too. It won't be as significant as Nicky's, since he bonded with you first, but it will still be important. Nurture it." I nod in agreeance.

 **-Route 202, Amber's POV, 10 PM-**

Terry gets into his tent, a nervous look on his face, a mischievous one on his Gardevoir. I chuckle. We had made it much farther along route 202, thankfully, and we expected to arrive in Jubilife by late night tomorrow. I stared around the campsite. Fate was curled up just inside my tent, her leafy twig just visible through the zipped shut door as a smudgy shadow. Athena was in my arms once again. She had woken up shortly after we'd started traveling again, and I allowed her to run around, burning off some of her bundled energy. Now she laid her head against my chest, hardly able to keep her eyes open.

Nicky, on the other hand, was nowhere in sight. That wasn't much of a problem, I quickly discovered, though. Our bond was quickly manifesting and it was now fairly easy to sense his whereabouts from a short distance away. I searched for that new-yet-familiar feeling as Terry had taught me.

"I'm sure an Aura Guardian can teach you an easier way, but try this for the time being," he'd said. He taught me how to sense my partner not as an Aura Guardian would have, but as a Psychic. It took a while, because I had to use the energy differently, but I caught the hang of it eventually and my range was about that of 50 feet in any direction.

Within seconds I sensed Nicky's presence. As I walked away from the campsite, I choked on a laugh as the sounds of an energetic make-out session ensued behind me. A couple minutes of walking later led me to the edge of a small pond. It was only about ten feet in diameter. There was a small stone ledge in front of me, covered in soft moss. Nicky sat cross legged on the stone, arms on his legs, staring into the depths of the pond's still waters.

I walked up silently and sat down beside him, cross legged as well. One hand still cradling the now sleeping Riolu in my arms, my other puts a reassuring touch on his leg. He looks around at me, still unsure, but relaxed too.

I smiled tentatively at him. "You should get some sleep," I said quietly.

He nods tiredly but doesn't move. We sit in silence for a few moments. I stare out over the small pool, taking in the tranquility of the place. Now that we're silent, I can hear a variety of sounds, from the soft breeze lapping the water, to the rustling of the leaves and the distant cries of wild Pokemon. I understand why he'd want to meditate here.

 _"Do you trust the gods?"_

I glance at Nicky, taking in his unsure appearance, and ponder the question.

"Do I trust the gods?" I repeat. "Well, I can certainly say I _believe_ in them… I don't know, I guess. You'd think, if they were worth trusting, the world wouldn't be going through so much shit right now, would it?"

He nods numbly, staying silent. After a few more minutes of quiet, I say, "we should get some sleep."

My tone had a slight commanding hint to it, and as I stand, starting to walk and putting Athena back in her ball, Nicky follows without complaint.


	8. Chapter VII: Reigniting an Old Flame

_**(Author's Note: Yes, I know the headings screwed up in Chapter VI. That was due to the machine I uploaded it from (ipad, I had been on the run around my town most of the day,) and a lack of notice when I copy/pasted it into a document. They should be fixed from this point on.**_ _**Alright, on with the story. Enjoy! -Orthros**_

 _ **PS: I know 'agreeance' isn't actually a word. However, it's usually accepted in the English Language and it's my writing style, so deal with it. ;) )**_

 **-Route 202, Amber's POV, 9:30 AM-**

"Concentrate," Terry says calmly. "It won't come easy."

I take a deep breath, hardly focusing on where I'm walking, staring hard at my sweaty hands. We'd been on the road for more than an hour and a half now, having scarfed down a quick breakfast. Terry thinks we could make it to Jubilife by five PM tonight if we keep up the pace, which I'm thankful isn't a hard one.

The hard part is what he told me we could do as we got going that I, unfortunately, agreed to.

"I could teach you the very basics of controlling your Aura,' he'd said. 'In general, the basic things like controlling the energy, sensing it around you, and then manipulating it to your advantage, is surprisingly similar between Telekinetics and Aura. The main difference is how you interpret that energy. Kinda like sugar and splenda, if you know what I mean."

Which is why I've found myself an hour and a half later, staring at empty palms. "I'm trying."

I feel my face redden with that whiney statement, but to his credit Terry shakes his head. "Don't be embarrassed. It took me nearly three days to produce any psychic power, at least at my own desire, after my initial showing…" he trails off, and I can tell he's lost in memories.

I sigh in frustration, bringing him back to Earth. He looks down for a moment, a thoughtful look on his face, then turns away, sounding disgusted.

"Although, Aura should be easier than my abilities. You should've produced something by now."

I stare at him in disbelief. We've both stopped walking. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Terry says, his face in an uncharacteristic sneer, "That you're weak."

Anger surges through me. "I am _not_ weak," I mutter.

"Don't lie," he responds. He starts walking down the road, leaving me behind.

Blood roars in my ears, brief memories of bullies all my life saying the same thing to me. In an instant everything seems instinctual. I raise my right hand skyward, and without even glancing at it I know a ball of energy glows there. I bring it back down, cupping it with my other hand like I might be about to pitch a baseball, or in this case a bowling ball. I sling it forward, throwing my hands out in front of me. The orb seems to scream as it sails towards the one I thought was actually a real friend.

He spins around, throwing his arms out across his body in an X motion. The sphere is intercepted mid air by his forceful Telekinetic attack, cleaved into four equal pieces. Two fly to each side of him, one almost skins the top of his head, and the other between his legs. They warp momentarily behind him, before imploding in an explosion of blue fire that quickly dissipates.

I breath deeply, my arms shaking. "Don't… _ever…_ call me… weak…" I say between gasps.

Terry stares at me for a moment, before chuckling. It quickly escalates, and in moments he's leaning over, laughing so hard it looks like he might bust a gut. It only pisses me off even more, but I'm too busy trying not to keel over to even think about attacking him again. After a few minutes he finally gains his breath. He closes the distance between us with a jog, then places his hand gently on my forehead.

I slap it away. "Don't touch me, you piece of shit!" I yell.

Terry backs up a pace, but he doesn't seem hurt by my insults. He shakes his head at me. "I didn't mean it, you realize that, right?"

I glance at him, venom in my eyes. "Yeah? Now that little girly Amber here can actually do something, you didn't mean it?" I straighten up. "Bullcrap."

"It's the oldest trick in the book, Amber," he says exasperatedly. "When in doubt, piss 'em off. It usually results in something, at least. In your case, an extremely impressive Aura Sphere."

I consider these words, and my anger slowly fades. He tentatively steps forward and puts his hand on my forehead once again, but this time I don't push him away. Rejuvenative energy flows through my body once again, but this time it feels much different. Rather than traveling from his fingers down through my body, the feeling seems to explode in my core, filling my whole being with power.

I look nervously at him. "What did you do?"

He grins. "I basically gave your own energy a jump-start." He turns around and spreads his arms wide, indicating the scenery around us. "Aura is all around us, in every living thing, including you and me. By focusing my telekinetic energy on your Aura, which you just unlocked to some extent on your own, by the way, no small feat, I was able to harness your powers and allow them to surge for a moment, which rejuvenated you and would've even healed any injuries, if you had any."

He looks back at me. "You should be proud, Amber. You've got a really strong Aura, even I could tell that."

I look at my shoes. "Sorry," I mumble.

Terry chuckles, clapping me on the shoulders. "I won't lie, I was expecting you to kick my ass. You're tough, I'll give you that."

He points his hand over his shoulder, towards the direction of Jubilife City. "Shall we continue on?"

I nod happily. "We shall."

 **-Jubilife City, Amber's POV, 5:23 PM-**

I stand momentarily in the same spot that I'd stood in about four days ago. Then I step forward. "We're here, finally!" I say happily.

Terry nods, but I notice his face seems rather pale. "Is something wrong?" I ask.

He shakes his head vigorously. "I don't know. I just started feeling like shit all of a sudden. Let's get to the Pokemon Center, just in case. I'm probably just dehydrated, I've been out of water for most of the day anyway."

I nod in agreeance and we set out, crossing the slightly familiar streets. We'd gotten in right at rush hour, and the going was slow. By the time we'd reached the customary red-roofed building, nearly a half hour had passed and what little color had remained in Terry's face had drained. He looked white as a ghost.

We pushed through the doors of the Center. Terry strode straight up to the front desk, with me right on his heels. Nurse Joy looks at him.

"Are you alright?" she asks worriedly.

Terry takes a shaky breath. "Yeah, I'm fine. I don't know about my Gardevoir though, can you check on her privately please?"

Joy nods and, after accepting my pokeballs and Terry's remaining ones and giving them to an assistant, follows us down the hall. She unlocks an empty hotel room. Terry immediately gives her his necklace and races to the bathroom. I grimace in pity as the sound of vomiting reaches us.

Joy frowns. "He said he was fine, though… Hmm…"

Having enlarged Angel's pokeball, she opens it. The Gardevoir appears on the bed and immediately lays down. I gasp.

She's turned from pearly white to ashen gray, and she shivers uncontrollably. Joy puts her hand on the pokemon's forehead and in an instant seems to know the issue. "I'll be right back," she says, dashing from the room.

She returns not a minute later holding a cup of water and two large pills. Propping Angel up, she force-feeds the Gardevoir. After she swallows, she lays back down, though her shivering lessens. At the same time, Terry emerges from the bathroom, his face all wet as though he hung it in the shower head to wash himself.

"She'll be alright," Joy says before Terry can utter a word. He nods, sitting down on the same bed. He strokes Angel's leg softly.

"What about you," I ask worriedly. "Are you ok?"

Terry winces. "Yeah. I've developed such a strong bond with Angel that we share each other's feelings and emotions. Happiness, fear, anger, love, bliss, you name it. The problem is that also includes nausea," he adds, sounding tired.

Nurse Joy raises an eyebrow at this. "I didn't know that was possible."

Terry nods. "That's part of it, yeah. Most trainers aren't that developed with their pokemon, though, and those that are don't exactly explain it to the public much, do they?"

Terry stands and stretches, and I can hear an audible pop in his neck, which I wince to. He rubs the spot, looking at Nurse Joy. "Do you think you could get an assistant to watch over her for an hour or two? I need to pick up supplies, we're running low."

Nurse Joy smiles. "Of course," she says. We follow her out of the room, where she catches an assistant by the arm as he walks past, carrying a sleeping Pichu. "Watch over the patient in room 133, please." She lowers her voice. "Don't touch her, don't let anyone in besides her trainer and his friend, and don't let anyone know who the patient is."

The assistant nods, eyes wide as he glances into the room. He goes in and closes the door, rubbing the Pichu's head.

"Perry Fletcher," Joy says to us as we reach the lobby. "He's the most trustworthy and experienced of my assistant staff. If there was one person I would trust to handle her, it would be him." Terry nods, looking relieved.

"I'll take your word for it, he seemed like a nice guy."

Once we're out on the street, walking in the direction of the blue-roofed building a few blocks away, I glance at Terry's face. He's still a bit pale, but he no longer looks on the verge of dropping. "You read that guy's mind, didn't you? You don't seem worried enough to not have."

Terry glances at me, the smallest trace of a smile forming on his lips. "Shh, don't announce it in public or I'll have another mob on me asking to explain the battle in Unova. But yeah, I did. I trust Nurse Joy's judgement, but sometimes the lure of a beautiful shiny pokemon is a bit much."

I raise my eyebrows at him. "You thought he might rape her?"

Terry grimaces but nods nonetheless. "Pretty much, yeah. He wouldn't have been able to smuggle her out of the building, not with Nurse Joy breathing down his neck, but that couldn't stop him from abusing her with a finger or two," he says disgustedly.

We enter the Pokemart. It's a fairly small building, with people of all ages looking at various items. Terry hands me a small list and some cash and directs me to the front desk.

"Hello, and welcome to the Pokemart," a cheery man behind the register says in greeting. "Stocking up on potions and the like?" he asks as he scans my list. I nod and a moment later he drops below the desk, pulling out several pink bottles. I raise my eyebrows at them.

"I thought potions were purple bottles," I say.

"Those're Hyper Potions. You gotta have at least 3 badges to purchase them," Terry says as he slides up next to me. "Angel, Ace, Axinite and I got a total of 6 badges, three from Unova, namely the Striaton, Nacrene and Castelia, and three from Sinnoh; Oreburgh, Eterna and Hearthome."

The man behind the counter nods as Terry opens the side of his jacket, revealing two rows of three badges, polished and shining, pinned to the inside of the fabric. "He's right. Hyper potions heal more efficiently than regular and Super Potions, but they cost a bit more, too. He rings up the items and I hand him the cash, but Terry signs the receipt. "What pokemon do you have with you, then?" the cashier asks as Terry writes.

"Turtwig, Riolu, and Gallade," I respond, smiling happily.

The man's mouth drops open. "And here I thought you were a newbie trainer," he says, sounding shocked.

"She is," Terry says, pushing the receipt back to the clerk. "Special circumstances related to the Gallade and Riolu's previous trainer. I'm traveling with her while she learns how to take care of herself and her pokemon." he adds. When I try to speak up, he steps on my foot.

The cashier nods. "Fair enough. Still impressive, though. I'd love a Riolu, I hear they're fun to play with," he says. He raises a hand in farewell as we head to the door. "Good luck, and have a nice day!"

As we exit the Mart, he grabs my arm and pulls me to the side. It doesn't hurt, but I can tell he's pissed. We stop in an alley on the side of the PokeMart.

"Are you insane?!" Terry says. "You'll get me killed."

I roll my eyes. "What the hell are you talking about?" I wrench my arm from his grip and walk back towards the streets. Terry follows, keeping close behind me. He sighs.

"I'll explain later, but for the time being, don't go talking about Alex's pokemon in public. The press will be down our throats and up our asses before you can blink if they find out."

I nod in agreeance, and he lets the matter drop. As we walk back towards the Pokemon Center, we notice a large crowd up backed up and flowing through the streets, all gazing at something going on up against the wall. I point in the direction of the chaos. Terry shrugs and follows me towards it.

We reach the crowd and squeeze in, managing in no small feat to reach the front. I gasp.

Several officers, Officer Jenny included, are suspended in a half circle. Against the wall, with no means of escape, stands a beautiful pokemon. His fur is pitch black, and several blue circles are imprinted on his legs, tubelike ears and tail. His eyes are a bright yellow, and they glow like moonlight. Around his neck is a necklace with a crescent moon pendant, apparently made of sapphire.

Terry's mouth falls open. "A shiny Umbreon," he breathes.

Jenny and her squad seems to be trying to capture the Umbreon. Unfortunately for them, it seems well trained. He snaps viciously at one officer, then spins around and shoots a sphere of dark energy at a nearby roof top, causing a sniper with what looks like a dart gun to duck for cover.

Suddenly Terry's face dawns with recognition. "WAIT!" he screams. He shoulders his way past me and the few people in front of him. "WAIT!" he shouts again.

He dashes forwards and several of the officers train their guns on him instead, but before they can do anything all the firearms are wrenched from their hands. A few yell in disbelief and draw tasers, but those are quickly taken too.

Terry raises his hands in a peaceful gesture. "Hold on, officers," he says calmly. "We're all on the same side here."

One of them grunts in surprise. "Terry Collins? The hell are you doing here?"

A murmuring whisper races through the crowd, and several of them draw out cameras or phones. I'm sure they're recording this. Terry seems to realize this, too. He returns all the guns and tasers to their respective holsters. "Promise not to kill me and maybe I'll explain," he says.

Jenny shrugs. "I got nothing against you, kid."

Terry tips an invisible hat to her, then nods to the Umbreon. "I recognize the pendant. An old friend of mine wore the exact same one back before I started my journey." He slowly walks over to stand in front of the Umbreon. He backs against the wall, snarling. Terry sighs. "That's no way to greet an old friend, Horus."

The Umbreon stops growling and stares at Terry as if struck dumb. After a moment, though, it tackles him. The officers surge forward but stop a few feet away as Horus starts licking Terry's face furiously.

Terry laughs. "All right, all right, it's good to see you too!" He manages to sit up, rubbing Umbreon under the chin. Jenny raises a brow.

"You know this Umbreon?"

Terry chuckles. "Know him? Good Lord, he and Angel played for hours together on end, how could I not? Course, back then he was just an Eevee." The teen stands, rubbing on of his elbows, which had hit the ground pretty hard. "I recognized the thoughts, I guess. Horus here belongs to Junior. He was an old friend of mine and Alex's. Not only were the three of us best friends, our partners were, too."

"I think the term is 'still are,' not 'we were,"' a voice says from right behind me. The whole crowd spins to locate the voice. I look up into the face behind me, taking in his dark eyes, with what almost looks like a purple tone in them. He nods to me, motioning for me to move, and I quickly do.

"Holy Arceus…" Terry says quietly, shock evident in every inch of his face as the man steps out from the crowd. "Jimmy Jr, is that really you?"

The man, maybe a year or two older than Terry, spreads his hands wide. "In the flesh!"

Terry bounds forward and wraps the guy in a bear hug, which he returns with equal strength.

"I thought I'd never see you again," Junior says. "Then you start appearing all over the goddamn news blowing up Plasma bases and crash landing planes in Sinnoh. You crazy bastard…"

"Pretty crazy, I know," Terry responds. Then he notices me. He beckons me forward. "This is Amber Thompson. She's traveling with me for the time being." He leans forward and whispers something in Junior's ear. His eyes widen with shock for a split second, before they are covered in a masklike expression.

He holds out his hand to me. "Nice to meet you, Amber," he says formally as we shake. I return the welcome.

Junior turns and crouches down next to his Umbreon. "What the hell was that about, Horus? Running off in the middle of the damned night in Jubilife of all places, it's a miracle you weren't taken by snatchers." Horus hangs his head, whimpering. Junior sighs. "I'm just glad the police found you before someone a bit less nice did. Thanks, by the way," he adds, turning to Officer Jenny.

She nods. "I won't press any charges. Even though he resisted capture, he specifically tried not to hurt us, only make us back off. That's respectable. Break it up!" she adds to the crowd, which had swelled to three times it's size. As it started to disperse, She glances at us. "Are you staying in Jubilife long? If so, I can set up a guard for you. Two shiny pokemon in the city at once…"

"Three," Terry corrects her in a low whisper. "We found Alex's pokemon. His Riolu, Athena, is shiny, too. Amber is taking care of her."

Jenny shakes her head in disbelief. "And from what I gather, at least two are one of a kind. I can already see the break-in damage bills…"

Terry chuckles. "We'd love a guard, if you've got enough men."

Jenny nods and, with a final wave, gets on her police motorcycle and races off. A few moments later she turns on her lights again, spinning almost 180 degrees and rocketing down a sidestreet. Terry and Junior watch her go for a moment. Then Junior turns to Terry and I. "So, you're staying at the pokemon center? That makes three of us."

We set off up the street, Horus the Umbreon walking next to Junior. His head is level with my chest, and when he glances at me, I get a nervous feeling as though I'm being x-rayed. Junior notices my discomfort and laughs. "You're not the first and you will certainly not be the last," he says lightly. "Horus and I trained for quite a long time before he evolved, but when he did, hoo boy was it an impressive sight to behold."

Terry nods, a twinkle in his green eyes. "You got that right, Junior."

A few minutes later we arrive at the Pokemon Center. As we enter, several people do a doubletake at the sight of the Shiny Umbreon, but look away quickly as Junior's hawk-eye'd glare turns in their direction. Apparently looking tough becomes second nature when you have a shiny.

Soon enough we arrive back at our room. Terry nocks and the assistant, Perry Fletcher, opens the door a crack. A pistol swings momentarily into view from his belt. At the sight of Terry's face, though, he opens the door wide. "Welcome back, Mr. Collins," he says formally. He allowed Terry to enter and me to follow, but puts an arm on the doorframe when Junior moves, the other hand on his pistol.

"No, he's with us," Terry says quickly, and Fletcher immediately lets him in.

Angel is laying in the same spot she'd been in when we left, but now she was awake, propped up on several pillows. I'm happy to see that her face has regained some of it's color. The Pichu that Perry Fletcher had been taking care of was sitting next to her, talking quietly to the Gardevoir.

"I'm sorry about the suspicion, Mr…?" Fletcher asks Junior.

"Autumn," Junior says, shaking Perry's hand. "Junior Autumn."

Perry nods. "Sorry about that, Mr. Autumn. I've had several delinquents trying to get in here since they left about an hour ago. Don't worry, I had the sense to get my pistol," he adds at Terry's sharp glare. "One good look and they left right quick. Most looked drunk and ready for a good woman, I expect," he finishes, sounding extremely disgusted and angry.

Terry nods, sitting down on the bed, taking care not to sit on the lumps under the covers that were Angel's feet. "I thought that would be the case," he says, venom lacing his voice. "Thanks for taking precautions, Mr. Fletcher."

He bows his head. "Just so you know, I always sleep with one eye open. If you get in trouble with anyone tonight, just give me a shout and I'll come running, pistol blazing."

Terry nods in agreeance, looking a bit more relaxed as Perry Fletcher leaves the room. "Good man, I think."

Junior nods, turning to Angel. She looks at him for a split second before gasping. The 17 year old grins, walking over and embracing her. "It's been awhile, eh, Angel? You've grown," he adds, sounding amazed but lacking any hidden motive.

She blushes slightly and nods. "She would've been with me, but she was sick earlier and had to stay behind," Terry explained. "You look better now, though," he adds happily.

" _Yeah, I feel good unless I move to quickly."_ she says through telepathy.

Junior checks his watch. "I think it's time I get to bed. Where are you guys headed tomorrow?"

"Floaroma Town," Terry responds.

Junior's eyes boggle at this. "Me, too! I'm going to visit some relatives there. We should travel together!"

Terry nods excitedly but glances at me. "Are you alright with that?"

"Of course," I say immediately. "As long as he's as good a guy as you say."

Terry nods. "Than its settled. See you tomorrow!"

"See ya," Junior says in farewell. He and Horus leave the room.

Terry turns to me. "You should get some sleep. We'll be heading out a bit early, probably. I don't want to end up sleeping in the cave that leads to Floaroma."

I nod and head through to the other room, where a small bed waits for me.

 _Ahh, sleep._


	9. Chapter VIII: Admissions and Promises

**-Route 204 (Just Outside Floaroma Town), Amber's POV, 4:19 PM-**

"Don't give up! Use Brick Break!"

Terry, Junior, Angel, Nicky, and Fate watch with interest as Athena launches herself out of the dirt, sprinting with all her might at her opponent, Budew. Budew's trainer, a tall, peaceful looking guy strumming a golden, shimmering harp shaped like a Mew and dressed in a green cloak, calls out in his carefree voice; "Use Bullet Seed!"

Budew puffs up her small cheeks, then opens her mouth and releases a barrage of glowing green seeds. "Dodge it!" I counter. Athena strafes left, then flips right, all the while racing towards Budew at a steady pace, the seeds leaving miniature explosions in the dirt right behind her. In seconds she lands in front of the grass type and brings down a glowing white fist on top of her head. A blast of white smoke issues with the release of energy as Athena jumps back, ending up in front of me. When the smoke clears moments later, Budew is lying prone upon the ground with swirls in her eyes, unmoving.

"Budew is unable to battle! The winner is Athena, and the victory goes to Athena and Amber!" Junior calls out happily.

I grin, crouching down and hugging Athena around the shoulders. She seems happy, too, but at my touch she shivers slightly. I let go of her quickly, letting her get used to me. She had opened up quite a bit since her minor meltdown on Route 202, but she was still nervous, and had I decided not to push the point.

Budew's trainer smiles, returning the tired grass type, whispering words of praise. Moments later he walks over to me. He bows graciously, sweeping his hat off his head, then extends a hand. As I grasp it firmly, he grins. "That was a most entertaining battle, Miss. Although, in the rush of excitement, I believe I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Nando."

I laugh at his antics. "Amber," I reply.

The rest of the group walks over. Fate grunts excitedly, but far from understanding her, I only hear a couple of random phrases. On the other hand, I can easily hear Nicky's congratulations. The Gallade walks behind me as we all head in the direction of Floaroma town, who's welcoming front gates can just be made out in the distant haze of heat. I turn and raise a brow at him and he sighs, before clicking the pokeball on my waist and disappearing in a flash of red light.

Nando glances at me. "I was meaning to ask when I first saw you all; "That is the Gallade that belonged to Alex Gates, is he not?"

Terry grimaces, holding a conflicted expression for a moment, before sighing. "Yeah," he confirms. "He and Amber achieved an Aura Bond, which in itself is a miracle, so who was I to argue? Hell, it was a miracle she found him in the first place."

Athena tugs at my pants leg, and when I look down, she looks nervous but exhausted. I gently lift her up and cradle her loosely in my arms, letting her lean the back of her head against my chest. After I get her situated I look up again and see Nando staring expectantly at Terry.

Junior apparently reads the situation better than I do, because he speaks up. "I've been wanting to hear this, too. As far as I know, Nicky was a lot more outgoing than Angel, but after Alex… Well, I just cannot see him trusting a human again."

Terry shoots a look at him, but Angel lays a hand on his arm. They look each other in the eyes for a moment, then Terry looks at the ground, a defeated expression on his face. "It seems we're not gonna keep this quiet. Go ahead and tell him, Amber."

I nod, albeit confusedly, and explain the night of the storm to Junior and Nando. When I finish, Nando nods sadly. "I never thought humans could sink as low as we have… You have my good wishes and prayers, the lot of you. And I will refrain from telling others, too."

Terry nods. "Thanks, Nando. Oh, we're here," he adds.

I look up to see that we'd arrived at what looked like an endless field of flowers, with houses and shops hidden among them. The scent had been faint from far away, but here it invades my nostrils and nearly knocks me off my feet. It's a beautiful scent, but it would take some getting used to. As we set off in the direction of the pokemon center, I see Angel glance at her midsection, an unmistakable blush on her face. Terry forces her to slow a little, then leans in close and whispers something in her ear. She frowns in embarrassment, blushing further, but after a moment nods.

Terry winces, his face growing red, too, before returning her to her pokeball, which he clips back into it's necklace. Then he catches up to us, shooting me a look that I don't have to be a psychic to decipher: _Not one word._

As Terry's Poketch chimes 4:30 PM, we enter the Pokemon Center. The place is fairly crowded, and we move slowly, heading for the front desk. Nurse Joy greets us with her usual, kindly smile, and Nando and myself drop off our pokemon for treatment. After Nurse Joy hands the pokeballs to an assistant, Terry whispers something in her ear. She fixes him with a stare, but he looks back blankly and after a moment she sighs. She opens a desk drawer and pulls out a stack of papers that look like they haven't been touched in quite a while, plucks a couple of them off, and hands them to Terry, along with a room key.

I raise a brow at him, but he shakes his head slightly as he joins us, folding the papers and slipping them into his pocket. "I've got to fill out these forms, so I'll join up with you guys again soon."

Nando nods, tipping his hat slightly. "I must set out, too. It was nice meeting you all. Good day!" he sets out the Center doors, turning in the direction of a small coffee shop we had seen on the way in. Terry sets off through one of the Center corridors, a blush creeping farther up the back of his neck with each step he takes.

As soon as he's out of earshot Junior howls with laughter, earning several curious looks from others in the Center. He quiets down a few seconds later and glances at me. "I guess it's just you and me, if that's alright with you."

I shrug. "It couldn't hurt. I heard the Flower Shop here is impressive, and it sells berries, too. Wanna head over there?"

Junior nods and beckons for me to lead, so I set off out of the Center. Once we get outside Junior throws a pokeball in the air, and Horus the Umbreon appears, stretching. The Umbreon shoots an unmistakably mutinous glare at his trainer, who winces. "I'm sorry Horus, I'll let you out sooner next time."

Horus turns away, chin in the air, and bounds off, enjoying the freedom from his pokeball. I stifle a laugh. Junior grins weakly. "He's got attitude, I'll give him that. I really don't blame him, though. I've been through an 'inside of the pokeball' demonstration, and Arceus knows it's claustrophobic as all hell. The only ones that seemed bearable were the Luxury Balls, but they're extremely expensive. Terry saved his pocket money for years to upgrade Angel's pokeball, last I remember."

I nod. "Speaking of which, what was wrong with Angel?"

Junior snorts with laughter. "I'll tell you, but you honestly shouldn't make fun of either of them, it happens to most pokemon once in awhile."

"What?"

Junior leans in close and whispers in my ear; "I think Angel had problems with her heat when we entered the town. Probably the exotic scents combined with some… interesting thoughts."

I jerk away from him. "WHAT?"

Junior winces. "Jeez, not so loud. Like I said, it happens. You'll notice that while I have three pokemon, only one is out right now. The other two might have similar problems. That was probably her first time experiencing it. The best thing to do is to return the pokemon and let her… take care of herself."

I stifle a laugh. "Those papers, then…?"

"Probably a Pokephilia Permit," Junior confirms quietly. "Knowing Terry, though, it's only because she might try to take it too far in her state."

I laugh harder at this as the Flower Shop comes into view. We enter the store, Horus slightly ahead of us, and watch as every person in the store, about 15 including the workers, freeze, all eyes on the Shiny Umbreon.

Horus growls quietly, but Junior rubs his head in response, calming him. A boy, about the age of eleven, walks up, holding a berry. A look at his clothing tells me he must be part of the family-run business. He holds the sitrus berry timidly out to the Umbreon, who cocks his head, sniffing it, before gently taking it in his mouth, chewing it happily.

I grin as others in the shop come over, taking turns petting Horus, who, unlike Angel, seems to enjoy the attention.

"The amount of times I've been jealous of my own partner," Junior whispers to me out of the corner of his mouth. I laugh as we move about the store. Horus takes a glance at his trainer, before positioning himself where he could see us clearly throughout.

Junior gathers several berries and heads to the front to pay, while I check out the flowers. As I do, a lady dressed in a tight t-shirt, jeans, and jet black, shoulder length hair slides up next to me.

"You like the tulips?" she asks. I glance at her and am shocked to see her eyes are a deep, pure silver, almost glowing.

"Y-yeah," I stutter.

She folds her arms, emitting a seemingly laid back attitude. I can't help but like her. "Same here. The amount of different colors achievable is incredible, eh?" She doesn't seem to be looking for an answer, but gazes at the flowers for a moment longer as if transfixed. "You're traveling with Terry Collins, right?"

I had been about to step farther down the aisle, and the question catches me so off guard that I stumble. I steady myself and glare wearily at the woman. "Why would you want to know?"

She chuckles. "I knew he'd be paranoid about Team Galactic, considering what a douche his father is, but I didn't think it'd rub off on you. I wanna know because, from what rumors have been flying around, you found Alex's Gallade. As a psychic type expert, I figured you'd come see me."

I gasp, the puzzle piece finally falling into place. "You're Katie Winters?"

She nods, holding out her hand. "Pleased to meet you, Amber."

 **-Valley Windworks(Floaroma Town), Junior's POV, 4:47 PM-**

I walk alongside Amber, watching as my partner Horus bounds through a small patch of flowers, engaged in an energetic game of tag with Katie's Espeon. We'd taken the path to the East, heading to Valley Windworks. I knew from past visits that turning south on that path lead to a housing district that held most of the citizens of Floaroma, my cousins included. As we turned south, I waved to Katie and Amber.

"I think you two have some stuff to talk about," I say, motioning to the pokeball in Amber's hand, then drop a slip of paper in her other. "I'm going to pay my cousins a visit, they live in the same neighborhood. Come by when you're finished, eh? I have a cousin your age that would love to meet you, I'm sure."

Amber nods, so I break off from them, calling as I do: "C'mon, Horus!" My partner's face falls dejectedly, but he leaves the Espeon's side and runs to catch up to me. I rub him between the ears as we head through the maze of apartments. Soon enough we end up at a familiar staircase, climbing up to the top. I knock on the door. After a couple of seconds, it's flung open. A 17 year old girl dressed in an extremely inappropriate tight shirt and shorts stares at me for a split second, then shrieks and nearly tackles me off the staircase in a hug.

"Damn, Tracey! You'll send us both off the edge!" I shout, steadying myself against the railing, before hugging her back. "Arceus above, what're you wearing?"

She giggles, letting go of me, her face forming a pout. "You abandon your girlfriend at your cousin's house to go run after your _boyfriend_ , and you expect me not to try and seduce you when you get back? Fat chance. C'mon in, Blu is in the attic." I follow her through to the fairly small living room. It's clean and orderly, the one exception being a pair of sweatpants strewn over the back of the couch that Tracey quickly throws on, covering herself up more completely.

I sigh dramatically. "I was just warming up to the view, too…" She slaps me across the shoulder playfully as we head through the skinny hallway, where a ladder blocks the last three doors. It extends into the roof. Tracey and I quickly shimmy upwards.

We appear in a small, semi-dark room, the ceiling just barely high enough for me to stand up in. My head brushes against the roof as I peer over to the brightest corner of the room, where a girl is absorbed in an Xbox, furiously destroying the rest of the players in her online match. I grin, grabbing the other controller from a nearby shelf and tapping in, forcing the screen to split. I end up on the other team and start dominating. Within seconds I'm at the top of my scoreboard, and I top it off by knocking the girl off her killstreak. She sighs.

"You don't have to dominate me every time you come home, Jimmy!" She jokes, finally turning around. She jumps off her bed and hugs me tight.

I laugh. "I dunno, you needed a reminder of your place. How're things, Blu?"

Bella, nicknamed 'Blu,' since that's her favorite color (her entire room is blue, it's just impossible to tell because the attic is usually dark), responds with a shrug. "Nothing new other than your girlfriend becoming my newest domination."

Tracey chuckles. "You know I'm horrible at that shit, Blu. I prefer pokemon battles. Speaking of which…" She glared challengingly at me. I nod, and Blu jumps up, slipping into her shoes before I can protest.

I raise a brow at her. "For thirteen, you sure are energetic."

She grins, her blue eyes twinkling. "I thought that was a good thing," She retorts lightly.

I tilt my head. "It's debatable. One question before we head out, though: Is mom…?" The effect of this question is immediate: Blu's grin disappears faster than Terry teleporting, Tracey flinches, and the mood in the room almost visibly darkens. I nod. "Ok. You two go on ahead."

Tracey and Blu head down the trapdoor ladder, and as I sit on the bed, I hear the door open and snap shut. I put my face in my hands, rubbing vigorously. After a moment of that, I steel my nerves and proceed downwards myself. When I get to the bottom I lift the lowest stair, and with a creak the whole mechanism lifts back into the ceiling. Then I turn to the left and enter my mother's room.

The room is quiet, mostly bare. In the middle of it lies a king sized hospital bed, the covers pulled taunt. Around the bed several machines are sitting, their monitors beeping and whirring, creating a soft, mechanical hum. In the bed, covers pulled over her thin form, lies Hymn. She stares vacantly at the ceiling, unmoving.

It takes every bit of my willpower not to break down right there in the doorway. A Luxury Ball resides on the shelf above the headboard of the bed. As I step farther into the room, it splits open, revealing an Audino. The pink pokemon looks at me sadly, taking my hand in hers. I sit down on the bed, gazing at my mother. The movement wakes her and she blinks, then looks at me.

"Jimmy…" She says slowly, her voice a croak. "My son…"

She moves a bony, withered old hand close to me and I don't hesitate to take it. "Mom… I'm home. I'm here," I say.

She smiles, nearly breaking my heart. "Why are you not out… Seeing the world?" She asks. Her white hair seems so brittle.

I grin weakly. "My friends and I had to make a stop here in Floaroma Town… You know I couldn't _not_ visit, right? ...Mom… Alex is… A-Alex is…" I stutter and trail off.

She looks at me, frowning. "Alex is what, dear?"

"... _dead_. Alex is dead!" I cry, tears dotting my eyes, falling to the blankets.

Tears dot my mother's eyes too, but she doesn't cry; rather she holds my hand. I feel ashamed, 18 yet still losing myself in my mother's arms, but she doesn't object. When I'm finally able to get a grip on myself, she looks at me hard.

"Dearest," She says softly. "Alex may be gone, but he isn't the only one. Keep your other friends close, too. And you will see Alex again, B-because y-yo-ou tru-..." She descends into a coughing fit. I glance at Audino, one hand still firmly grasped in my mother's.

Audino checks the machines, but as she does mom stops hacking and looks up again, wide-eyed. Her eyes look slightly fractured as they find mine.

"J-Jimmy…? It's you…! Jimmy… I'm so, so sorry. You're home…!" Her voice is full of wonder, and I can feel my heart break, but I nod, my smile watery.

"Yes, mom, I'm back. I've just gotta grab something, I'll be right back, I promise…"

It's all I can do to make it out of the room before I collapse, sobbing.

 **-Katie's House, Amber's POV, 4:48 PM-**

Katie unlocks her apartment door, which is situated on the ground floor in a far corner of the maze of buildings. The door swings open and Espeon trots in, but I hesitate on the doormat. Katie must read my expression, because she shrugs. "We can hang on the steps if you want," she suggests.

"No, no," I say hurriedly, stepping through the door. The inside is pretty simple, a fireplace crackling merrily in a corner, along with several couches and loveseats. The couches seem shaped interestedly, and I note Espeon jump onto one and lay down comfortably. "They're made specifically for your pokemon?" I ask.

Katie nods, pulling 5 more pokeballs from her belt. Clicking the buttons, An Alakazam, Chimecho, Kirlia, Espurr, and Xatu join us in the room, all moving to their respective beds. They all seem to share Katie's laid back attitude, nodding at me in recognition, before engaging in conversation among themselves. With my Aura, I can only pick up the occasional word, and I do my best to ignore it. I walk about the room as Katie goes into the kitchen. I end up sitting by the Kirlia's bed, though only because she's the only pokemon I can more than vaguely recognize. She glances nervously at me, but doesn't argue.

Katie returns a moment later and hands me a cup of tea, before settling down, laying her legs across the arms of the only other chair in the room. "I'm sorry about the seating," She says apologetically, "I rarely have guests. We prefer to stick to ourselves."

I shrug it off. "I'm alright. I like the floor, anyway. I'm just glad you agreed to help me out with this…" I trail off.

Katie nods understandably. "It's a big responsibility, isn't it? Not only caring for your pokemon, but taking their pasts into account and deciding what's best for them."

I grimace, but nod nonetheless. "I don't have a clue where to start…"

Katie giggles. "Let's start with you, then. I don't know if you knew this, but Terry sent a letter ahead by Staravia-Post. He says you developed the ability to manipulate Aura, correct?"

"Yes," I respond. _So Terry sent a letter about me, did he?_

Katie must be reading my mind, because she shrugs. "He thought it better to send a professional explanation ahead, so I knew what was going on. You're forgetting, he may have only started his journey at 16, but he's been with that Gardevoir of his since age 6. They would've learned all about this stuff, and to be fair, he's probably got more knowledge of Aura than I do. I'm a psychic expert, not an Aura Guardian."

I ponder that idea for a moment, before nodding. "Seems fair, I guess."

Katie nods. "He also says that, so far, you've been doing an exceptional job of caring for all three of your pokemon."

My eyebrows raise at this. "I have?"

"You have," Katie confirms. "He says, and I quote; 'She's there for them, is alright at cooking both pokemon and people consumables, is lenient and enjoyable but strict when needed. Fate, her Turtwig, seems in great condition and has trust in her trainer's ability. Athena (Alex's Riolu), despite having lost Alex, whom had rescued her from the sewers, after having been treated like vermin by the trainer beforehand, has still warmed up to her and trusts Amber much more than would be expected, given the circumstances. Nicky is healing well under her care, too, and is happy to have someone close to him once again. He, too, trusts her, and responds to her orders without complaint despite her mostly inexperienced commands in both battles and training.'" Katie pauses, nodding approvingly at me. "Yeah, I'd say you know what you're doing."

I shake my head. "I dunno…"

"Think about it from their point of view," Katie offers. "It sounds like Athena was put through nothing short of torture, and she's still warmed up to you quite a bit since she came to be with you. As for the Gallade… Well, I have no idea how he came to trust you. I speak with almost 20 years of experience working with psychic types… Losing your partner like that creates an emotional imbalance that can't just be repaired with a couple sympathetic words, yet it sounds like Nicky's doing better under your care. Kid, you gotta give yourself some credit."

I feel a pressure on my arm and turn my head to see the Kirlia smiling sadly at me, leaning on my shoulder. She hops the few inches to the floor and climbs into my lap, laying in the crook of my arms as if we'd known each other for years. Katie stares, dumbstruck. After a moment, though, her face breaks into a grin. "Don't you dare discredit yourself now, not when Kirlia likes you."

I laugh, raising a brow as I move one arm to stroke her horns. She enjoys the massage, relaxing. "I guess I'll give myself a bit of credit," I agree.

Katie nods, smiling. "Good. Now, as for your pokemon… I only suggest that you keep doing what you're doing. It's working, and trying to change tact now might set you back farther than you'd prefer."

I'm about to reply, but the rumbling of a huge explosion drowns out anything I had to say. Katie immediately jumps to her feet, all her pokemon silently running over and clicking their respective pokeballs, which hung around her waist. Kirlia jumps up from my lap, a moment later teleporting onto Katie's shoulder. She waves at me to follow, before ripping the door open and racing out onto the street. I follow, nervous but excited.

As we're running, I glance towards the apartment that Junior lives in. I see two girls, one about my age and another about his, glancing nervously from Junior's apartment, to the direction of Valley Windworks, where a huge plume of smoke can be seen rampaging through the sky.

Just then, Junior appears at the top of the steps. He jumps onto the railing, five stories up, then throws a pokeball. Before it even opens, he jumps off, sailing towards the ground. I stop, horrorstruck, as Junior falls straight down, arms and legs spread like a skydiver. However, at the last second, the pokemon appears, revealing itself to be a Noivern. The fierce dragon catches it's trainer easily and in seconds they're flying full tilt towards the flames. The other two girls overcome their shock and race after him, and moments later match pace with myself and Katie.

We reach the fork in the paths without a word spoken between us, stitches in our sides. Whatever pain we might've felt is numbed, however, as we stare at the facility in shock.

The whole building is weeping fire, as if Yveltal himself had decided it was time for it to go. Junior was nearby, restraining an eight year old girl, who was sobbing uncontrollably as she tried to break his grasp and enter the flames. Suddenly a huge explosion detonated inside, and Junior tackled the girl, shielding her with his body as Noivern and Horus beat the flames back by any means necessary.

"DADDY!" the girl screamed.

A flash of purple light bursts out of nowhere next to me, and I leap back in shock as Terry appears from it, looking somber. Sirens echo in the distance.

Suddenly Terry's eyes grow wide in shock. He turns to Katie and they speak in unison; "Someone's still alive in there."

I feel faint. There's no way the firefighters could get here in time. Terry seems to realize this as well. "DAMNIT!" he shouts. He starts sprinting towards the burning building. As he goes, a green colored cloak of energy seems to surround him.

"YOU'RE INSANE!" Katie screams. She throws her pokeballs into the air, yelling; "HELP HIM!"

Her pokemon fan out around the building as Terry sprints fearlessly into the fire. The green energy seems to push the flames out of the way, but judging by Katie's silent sobbing, I'm not sure for how long.

Suddenly an explosion detonates to our right, and I look over in time to see Junior sink to the ground, the girl unharmed behind him. "Get her!" He chokes out, curling into a ball with the pain. Noivern grabs the girl and takes off, while Horus shoots a Dark Pulse at something I couldn't see.

The beam hits nothing but forces someone to reveal themselves. She's about as tall as me, with blood red hair and wearing a silvery black suit. Embroidered on her chest lies a yellow G. On one side of her is a Glameow, the other an Abra.

The girl laughs shrilly, grating on my nerves. "Well, that was a hell of a lot easier than I thought. You'll be burying him the same way his father was buried: a closed casket."

My eyes widen at this. "Alright!" I shout, throwing my three pokeballs in the air. My friends join me as I continue, "Who the hell are you?"

She laughs. "Like I would tell you that. Men, advance!" She adds as Katie's and my friends attack. Nicky, Athena, and Fate all send ranged attacks, but suddenly a dozen men, wearing dark camo made of a material I cannot place, jump out of the flowers, throwing two pokeballs each. Two dozen Houndour easily deflect the blasts, before returning fire with a barrage of Dark Pulses.

Our entire group scatters as they impact all around us, and I'm thrown to the ground by the mere force of them. I hastily get to my feet as Katie yells; "Houndoom Skin! That's horrible! You bastards!"

The girl only laughs again, then focuses her attention on me. "To answer your question, kid, my name is Mars. Admin Mars, to be exact, one of the three Admins of Team Galactic. And you're going to he-"

Terry teleports behind her and smashes a half-burned board into her head. She crumples on the spot. Her two pokemon launch themselves at him, but he throws them aside with a telekinetic blast. He crouches over Mars's unconscious form, holding the board, which had fashioned itself into a spear. He puts the tip to her neck.

"Not one move," Terry advises.

Everybody freezes as Terry's eyes dart back and forth, taking in the scene. I focus a bit more and see burns covering any exposed skin. He shakes slightly, and I'm willing to bet he's only standing by holding himself up with psychic. However, that doesn't stop him from shaking Mars, who wakes a moment later, putting a hand to her head. Terry slaps it down, poking the wood farther into her neck, drawing a bead of blood. She laughs slightly. "You don't have the guts."

"Watch me," Terry says venomously. "Where are Cyrus and Ghetsis?"

She grins, though unable to turn her head to look at him. "Oh, so you managed to deduce that? Missing palling around with your _father,_ eh, Terry?"

If the situation hadn't already been so tense and silent save the fire roaring in the background, I would've thought I'd gone deaf. The blood drains out of Katie's and Junior's faces, and mine too, I'm sure. "What…?" I whisper. "Your… father?"

Terry responds by kicking Mars in the knees, dropping her to the ground, pushing her to her stomach and putting a foot on her back. "Where are they?" he asks again, positioning the stick against the back of her head.

She laughs. "Your entire world will burn in Hell, right after your father rapes and murders that Gardevoir. Right in front of you."

Terry screams in rage and smashes his fist down on the stick, but right before he reaches it Mars disappears. Terry stumbles to the ground in confusion, and I look around at her men, only to realize they had gone, too.

"They teleported out," Katie states. "They must've had Abra with them, too."

Junior coughs and picks himself up off the ground. I see several deep circular imprints on his chest where he must've taken the brute force of a Dark Pulse. Horus runs to his side, whimpering as he allows his wounded trainer to drape an arm around him to stand with.

I notice hardly any of that. Instead I stare at Terry. "I trusted you," I said, my voice shaking.

"Amber…" Terry says tentatively. "I'm sorry I didn't explain… To any of you," He adds. He takes a deep breath. "Yes, Ghetsis… Ghetsis is my father. However, that doesn't change the fact that nothing could please me more than his head hung on my wall."

He sighs. "I'll be honest, I've meet legendary pokemon before. I gotta say, my dad… Well, I think he has the right idea that they don't deserve to rule. But between us and them," he adds, sounding disgusted, "We're better off the way we are now."

Before I can think of something to say, a man appears out of the flowers behind Terry. He's even worse off than Terry is, swelled and burned by the flames.

"PAPA!" The girl screams. Noivern releases her and she dashes over to him, nearly bowling him over. The man laughs despite the obvious pain he's in, hugging her tightly. "You smell like smoke," she says, laughing.

"Not the usual grease, eh?" he retorts jokingly, his voice hoarse. "Terry here found me and got me out before the building could completely go up. Thanks, kid," he adds. Terry, white as a sheet after the speech he just made, can only manage to nod. A moment later fire trucks scream around the corner, grinding to a halt and immediately starting to work on containing the blaze. Terry and the old man are practically thrown onto stretchers and wheeled into a waiting ambulance, which takes off, back the way it had come.

I turn to Katie. "You didn't know?"

She shakes her head. "I guess he's stronger than I had imagined, keeping secrets even from me… But he's still a good and trustworthy guy," she adds sadly.

I nod. "I suppose we should head back to the Center. Can you walk?" I ask Junior.

He nods, grinning weakly. "Oh, yeah. "It's gonna take a hell of a lot more to keep me down."

With that, we start off towards the Pokemon Center. As we leave, I turn to see the girls turning back towards their house. One has a phone in her hand, and as I glance at the screen, even from the distance I'm at I can tell she's saving a recording.

 _Shit._

 _ **(Author's Note)**_

 _ **Well, that was a doozy of a chapter, eh?**_

 _ **I want to note that nothing sexual actually happens during this chapter, even those that weren't mainly featured in it. (aka Terry/Angel.)**_

 _ **Anyway, the next chapter should be out soon. I've developed a short of routine where I do my main writing on the weekdays, preferring to save my weekends for more fast-pace things, like competitive gaming. Keep a lookout :)**_

 _ **Make sure to Rate/Review. Good luck, happy reading/writing!**_

 _ **-Orthros**_


	10. Chapter IX: Unending Revelations

**-Pokemon Center, Amber's POV, 5:24 PM-**

Terry and the older man are nowhere to be seen as Junior, Katie, and I, along with the little girl, who had asked us to escort her to her father, enter the lobby. Of course, they were severely burned and it was a miracle they were standing at all, so it's only natural. Katie leads us to the front desk, getting the attention of Nurse Joy.

"Can you see our pokemon, please? And if it's possible, I would like to assist in the recovery of Terry and the owner of Valley Windworks," Katie says. Joy agrees, taking all of our pokemon except for Katie's Alakazam, Charlie. As we're about to be led back, the doors to the Center burst open and Nando comes running through, out of breath. He stops beside us, hands on his legs, and catches his breath. When he finally composes himself, he looks grimly at us. He smells like smoke and I notice two of his pokeballs are absent from his belt.

"I heard what happened, and I am sorry I couldn't assist. My friends are helping with the blaze. Are they ok?" He asks quietly.

Nurse Joy nods. "They're stable, but unconscious. If you'll all just follow… me…" she trails off as the TV channel abruptly changes, blaring to life.

" _Hello, Channel Six, or Channel 14, if you're joining us from Sinnoh. This is Alyssa, live from Unova."_ She has to yell to be heard over the sound of helicopter blades cutting through the air, her hair being blown in all directions due to the door being wide open behind her. She's strapped tightly into a harness. " _I'm currently flying over Nuvema Town, where firefighters from all over the region are either flying or teleporting in to combat what has to be the biggest blaze in the Town's history."_

The cameraman turns with difficulty to point his camera out of the chopper, where most of the small city is in flames. People run for Route 1 as dozens of firefighters, along with water, ground, and rock-type pokemon, protect them and battle the blaze by any means necessary. The chopper suddenly makes an abrupt jump skyward to make way for a battalion of Swanna. The swan-like pokemon make a sharp dive, angling over the blaze, hydro pumps furiously trying to douse the flames.

" _Officials are concerned not only by the size of the blaze, but also by the suspicious activities that have caused it. Security cameras posted around the city captured footage of a man in a black trench coat, no face showing, dropping a black suitcase underneath the stairs of the home of the Collins, now famous for their son Terry's heroic actions in both Unova and Sinnoh. Both Collins are assumed dead, killed in the initial blast, which officials are certain was created by both frag- and firebomb-style explosives."_

I stare open-mouthed at the TV in shock.

"My Arceus…" Nando trails off. Katie sits down shakily in a nearby chair, seemingly weak in the knees.

The entire Center lobby is silent at the horrible situation, so much so that the light footsteps coming from the doorway are easy to hear. I turn my head to see Angel staring wide-eyed at the TV, whose bold caption states **Firebombing in Nuvema Leaves Dozens Dead, More Wounded** , with smaller lettering under it: _Collins family among those assumed killed by malicious blaze._ I spot tears reaching the corner of her orange eyes as she sways slightly.

Nando jumps off his chair and grabs her before she can hit the floor, lowering her carefully into a chair. Moments later she's sobbing her heart out on his shoulder. He shoots me an uncomfortable look, but I hardly notice. I feel lightheaded, so I quickly find a chair and sit down. It's several seconds before I realize I'm next to Katie and the little girl.

"It was a trick."

I look at Katie. "What? What are you talking about?"

"Valley Windworks. It was a trick, a diversion," Katie says somberly. "If Ghetsis really is Terry's father, he'd know all about psychic abilities, having trained the kid. So he'd know that if a psychic is panicked on enough adrenaline, their powers skyrocket to an unimaginable point. For Terry, that probably would've meant he would've been able to teleport all the way to Nuvema Town to save his parents. So he had Cyrus distract him with a small attack here. He must've known Terry was coming somehow."

Katie stands, wiping tears out of her eyes. "C'mon," she says, managing a smile at the daughter of the owner of Valley Windworks. "Let's go see your father."

Nando's somehow managed to calm Angel down to the point that she isn't making a scene, though I doubt anyone thought she was in the wrong, so I get up and follow Katie and Nurse Joy down the hallway. We walk in complete silence, trying to get our heads around that violent announcement.

After a couple minutes, Nurse Joy stops by a door, where she slides a keycard through an electronic lock. The door dings softly, before opening on silent hinges. She pulls the door open and stands back to let us in. The little girl runs in first, with Katie and I shortly behind. Terry and the old man are on top of hospital beds, several tubes implanted in each, with breathing masks over their faces. The man is asleep, but to everyone's surprise, Terry is awake.

Awake and in tears, staring at a TV mounted on the wall between the two beds.

 **-Pokemon Center Lobby, Amber's POV, 11:45 PM-**

I stare tiredly at the white ceiling of the hospital room, my mind mercifully blank. It was Nicky's idea to meditate, saying it would be beneficial to my powers and my mood, which had done nothing but darken since I left Terry's room. I know he's healed now, Katie having borrowed some of his energy to speed up the process, but that doesn't stop me from wondering about just what the hell he's really going through.

That, and what the hell I've gotten myself into...

A slight blue glow suddenly lights up the ceiling from where I lay, arms crossed over my stomach. I concentrate harder, bringing my Aura to the surface, as I had read in a book a couple of days ago.

' _Meditation is one of the most important exercises of an Aura Guardian,'_ the book had said. ' _Allowing their energy to flow, Aura Guardians could increase their power, and their senses, through self-reflection, relaxation, and concentration. It is said that those with the power to harness Aura can do this with relative ease.'_

The book had been frustratingly annoying at first, calling it a 'relative ease,' but not shedding light upon how to do it. In time though, I had figured it out, at least part of the way. I could bring my raw Aura to the surface, hence the blue light emanating from every bit skin not covered by my pajamas. I still had yet to do it as the pictures had shown, bringing a variety of colors to show off my core being, but I was getting there.

Across from me, laying on the floor at his request, Nicky sighs deeply. He has accomplished quite a bit more than I have, a point proven a couple of minutes later when his bluish lighting flares briefly bright green and purple. He's warmed up to me quite a bit, I'm happy to say, but I still have yet to replace Alex, I believe. I doubt I ever will, but I will do my best. Athena wanted to join us as well, but as the Riolu was completely exhausted, I forced her to sleep, with promises to allow it next session.

After a few more minutes, during which Nicky's Aura continues to flash briefly, a knock sounds on the door. I must be doing something right, or maybe wrong, with my Aura, because it sounds like a cannon and I shout out, jumping and flinching so badly that I fall out of the bed and end up landing on Nicky, who grunts with pain.

The door flies open to reveal Junior, who races into the room, before freezing at the sight of us. I realize what it looks like and hurriedly get up. "Lord Arceus above, Junior, knock a bit quieter next time!" I scold quietly at him. Nicky shakes his head, laughing silently, and Junior snickers.

"Your parents catch you like that, they'll have your head," he jokes. After a moment, though the grin slides off his face. "Terry's missing."

"What?!" I say incredulously, turning to look at him. "What do you mean, _missing_?"

Junior grimaces. "I mean Nurse Joy went to check on him about an hour ago and he wasn't there. You two were in here practicing your Aura, so I didn't want to bother you, but I can't find him. I've looked everywhere, and I know him better than the back of my hand. He's fucking gone." Junior turns to Nicky. "Can you zero in on his energy, or Angel's? I think she went with him, wherever the hell that is."

Nicky shrugs, turning to me. " _It's worth a shot. C'mere."_

I raise a brow, but step closer nonetheless. Nicky places one hand on my forehead and the other (both of us nervously avoiding each other's eyes,) over my heart. Nicky closes his eyes, and his Aura comes to the surface. It spreads to his fingertips, glowing blue, and I feel my own respond in return, called forth. Suddenly I understand. Nicky guides my Aura, using our combined energy and spreading it out. It extends outward in an invisible ring. When it reaches Junior, I can vaguely sense his thoughts, his familiar energy. We continue our search, with each passing foot bringing more people into our sphere of influence.

None of them seem familiar as we slowly but surely continue our extension, but as we reach the walls and ceiling of the Center I get a sudden feeling, like an old friend's name right on the tip of my tongue. It only lasts for a moment, though, before I cry out as a surge of malevolence and sadness invades my mind. Suddenly I get a major ache in my temples, as if someone had struck me with a hammer. Nicky and I break apart, falling in opposite directions. Junior reacts quickly, grabbing me just before my head can crack itself open on the corner of a chair. He sets me into it, before turning to Nicky, who's shaking his head, which had hit the wall. He signals that he's ok, though.

"What the hell was that?" Junior asks nervously. Nicky grimaces, getting to his feet, holding his head. He stays silent as he moves over to the little water dispenser in the corner, taking a couple of the small paper cups awkwardly in his bladed hands and filling them. He gives one to me and drains the other, sighing with relief. I do the same.

" _Terry's… upset,"_ Nicky says, wincing slightly. " _He shut us out of his energy. I doubt he meant it to hurt us though."_

"I thought Terry didn't know how to use Aura," I respond.

Nicky shrugs. " _The difference between Aura and Psychic abilities is mainly the way they're used. He probably created a mental barrier, and it was enough to block us. Anyway, I'm pretty sure he's on the roof of the Center."_

Junior's eyebrows raise. "The roof? He's changed more than I thought. I never knew him to stargaze when he's upset, he's usually as far from people as possible. I was searching the edge of the woods, that's where he used to go."

It's my turn to shrug. "Should we check on him?" Junior nods, so the three of us head out of the hotel room. I sigh, but Nicky places a hand on my arm. He grips tightly, not enough to hurt, but enough. I relax, smiling gratefully at him. Junior leads us through a small maze of hallways, coming to a set of stairs.

"You two go on ahead, I'll let Nurse Joy know where we're going." Junior says. I nod, looking at the stairs. We climb them, eventually coming to a door at the very top labeled: **Authorized Personnel Only**. I push the bar and peer out.

From the red tiled roof of the center, the rest of Floaroma is spread out below us, but with the light breeze flowing in from the south-west, almost none of the flowery scent gets to us. It's actually quite peaceful.

I look around and see Terry laying on the far side of the roof, a couple of blankets under him. Angel lays at his side, and from the looks of it it seems she's fallen asleep. I take a deep breath, then glance at Nicky. He gets the idea, and although he's not too happy about it, he allows himself to return to his pokeball. The red flash illuminates Terry's shadow, a flash I know Terry saw, but he doesn't react.

I shake my head a couple times, then walk forward, ending up on Terry's right. I sit down beside him, noting his skin color, which, other than being several shades more raw pink than usual, seems back to normal. He glances up at me, sighs, then returns Angel's sleeping form to her pokeball. He sits up, staring out over Floaroma Town.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you back there, I didn't mean to." he mumbles.

I shrug. "It happens. You should've told someone where you were going, though. Junior was worried."

Terry winces. "I… yeah."

A grim silence settles while I try to figure out what to say. "I just…" I begin. "...I'm sorry, Terry."

He nods, giving me a weak smile. "Thanks, Amber. It means a lot. It's just… Hell, I don't know." His voice hardens, making me nervous, but I don't try to stop him. "For my entire life I thought my dad was a person to look up to. To admire. Now… For all I know, he raped my mother and blackmailed her into secrecy."

Woah. That was a statement. He continues. "Everyone I know and love is being threatened… By my own _father._ And now the world knows that, too."

I glance at him. "What are you talking about?"

He flinches, looking as though he's about to vomit. "You haven't seen it?" He doesn't wait for an answer, but instead brings his arm out in front of his face. He taps on his Poketch, and after a moment pulls it off his wrist and gives it to me. I see he's pulled up a YouTube video and paused it at 0:00. He waves me on, so I press play.

The screen is small, but there's no doubt about it: It's the video those girls were recording. I watch as the girls dive for cover behind a nearby tree as the Dark Pulses scatter our group. Then Terry teleports in and takes Mars hostage. In the silence, every word is distinguishable.

Even afterward, when Terry's carrying voice clearly announces " _Ghetsis… Ghetsis is my father."_ Rather than continuing with the rest of his speech, though, the video abruptly cuts off and a news anchorman appears. " _Hello, Channel Six, or Channel 14 if you're joining us from Sinnoh. A surprising turn of events leads to a suspicion from many throughout the regions. Larry is at the Floaroma Police Station for details."_

" _Well, Jim, it seems Terry Collins, famous for his thwarting of Team Plasma's plans in Unova and Sinnoh, has an interesting family tree. Paul Collins, who was killed earlier today in the bombing in Nuvema, is in fact not the boy's biological father. In an announcement taking place after fighting off Mars of Team Galactic in Sinnoh's Floaroma Town, Terry fully admits to having none other than Ghetsis as his father. I'm joined by the Officer Jenny of Floaroma Town for more info. How're you doing, Jenny?"_

Jenny looks like she'd like nothing more than to melt out of the camera's spotlight, but she fixes a hard glare at Larry. " _I could be better."_

" _Tell me, did the officials at either the Sinnoh Police, Unovian Police, or any of the League members know of Terry's true parents?"_

Jenny shakes her head. " _No, but-"_

" _Does this new development, which brings up the suspicion of many throughout the world, mean anything significant in the investigation and outright war against Team Galactic?"_

Jenny grimaces. " _Yes, but-"_

" _And do you think Terry_ himself _could in fact be a terrorist, a double agent?"_

Jenny looks like she'd rather die than say what she's about to say, but she fixes the camera with a sorry look and says, " _It's crossed our minds, but we-"_

" _Thanks, Jenny."_ Larry cuts her off for a final time, waving at the camera. " _Back to you, Jim."_

" _Thanks, Larry. Well, ladies and gentlemen, it seems that trust is running thin. Already, several people have spread theories as far as the eye can see, but one thing seems certain: Terry isn't who he says he is. Good luck and stay safe, Unova. Good Night."_

I stare at the device in utter disgust, before handing it back to Terry. He refuses it though. "I'll pay you twenty if you throw the damn thing as far away from me as you can."

I chuck it off the roof and watch, satisfied, as it smashes against the pavement three stories below and practically explodes. Terry reaches out a hand, and the shards levitate themselves over to a trashcan, where they disappear from view. He pulls out a bill and gives it to me. I didn't think he'd actually go through with it.

Terry sighs, laying back against the center roof. "Thanks, Amber. You have no idea…" he trails off.

"No problem," I respond. "What do you think, then?"

Terry snorts. "I think Team Galactic has infiltrated the media, for one. I don't have anything against Officer Jenny, I think she was basically forced to do that interview. I'd bet money she was blackmailed. As for the government's, well… to be honest, I doubt I'll have a huge problem with them. They know that the part of the video they showed was out of context."

"No kidding," a voice says from behind us. A moment later Junior sits down on Terry's other side. "Talk about some major bullshit. I would report that Jim guy, but I dunno…"

"Why him?" I ask.

"Because Terry isn't the only one that's had trouble with Team Galactic."

Junior pauses and takes a deep breath. "You guys can't say a word about what I'm about to tell you." Terry sits up and nods, and I agree as well. Junior grimaces, then slowly reaches into his pocket. He pulls out an ordinary Great Ball, glances at us, then clicks the button.

I gasp as a small pokemon bursts forth and lands in his arms, fast asleep. I recognize it from a picture I had seen in the Pokemon Center lobby.

Azelf.

Terry's eyes widen. "What the hell, Junior?"

Junior nods. "Keep quiet. He's tired. Team Galactic tried to invade Lake Valor, and the Admin looks almost exactly like that Jim fellow. Somehow they got him to appear. I managed to sneak in, and after having Horus communicate my plan, I captured it and flew my ass out of there on Noivern. They gave chase, but we managed to lose them in Pastoria City. Team Galactic couldn't chase us in without getting swamped by the police. What's more, while I was there, I met two trainers named Dawn and Barry."

"We meet them in Sandgem Town," I remember.

Junior nods. "It turns out they had made similar rescue attempts. Dawn's captured Mesprit and Barry has Uxie. When we brought them together, they asked us to protect them, and not to tell anyone that we have them in our custody."

Terry whistles low. "That's… Jeez." he pauses for a moment, then sighs. "No more secrets," he says suddenly, with an air of finality.

"You two are gonna think I'm crazy," he starts, but I cut him off.

"Get on with it. Nothing could surprise me at this point."

"Alright… I've met Mew in my dreams," Terry says. Junior raises a brow at him as he returns the sleeping Azelf to his pokeball. "Here me out. Mew visited me first after Angel was kidnapped, while I was unconscious from the attack on Castelia Stadium. She told me… well…"

Terry goes on to explain the whole meeting almost word for word; how Team Galactic, Team Plasma, Team Flare and even the Society of the Shattered Moon are all connected, all fighting to dethrone Arceus. How Terry is apparently part of the group that's supposed to stop him, the rest of which will reveal itself soon, and how Mew's second visit revealed that another person should've revealed themselves by now.

"I was waiting for the next person in to show up in Jubilife," Terry finishes.

I let all this information sink in, taking a deep breath as I do so. "No more secrets…" I mutter. "ISAWYOUINADREAM!" I blurt out.

Terry raises a brow at me, and I calm myself. "I saw you in a dream," I say matter-of-factly. "It was exactly like your second visit with Mew, but I think I was watching it in the future."

Terry's eyes widen. "And you just _happened_ to keep this quiet?" He shakes his head. "No wonder I never found the girl I was looking for in Jubilife: I already had her under my protection."

He turns to me. "I think you're a part of this," he finishes ominously.

 _ **Author's Note**_

 _ **Well, it seems things are really heating up! Keep in mind, this is the essential turning point of the story. It's all uphill from here. And I know I'm just kinda springing this on everyone, but I promise it has a ton to do with plot. I'm also going to release a One-Shot of Junior's travels in Sinnoh in the weeks leading up to his reunion with Terry.**_

 _ **Good Luck, happy reading/writing! -Orthros**_


	11. Chapter X: Junior's Letter

_**Author's Note:**_

 _ **The following relates to Junior's travels in the weeks leading up to his reunion with Terry.**_

 **Enjoy! -Orthros**

 _ **(PS: And yes, I know what MoonShine is. It's a joke.)**_

 _Dear Tracey, Blu, and Mother;_

 _Before I tell you about my travels, I want to sincerely apologize for not sending any post for the last two months. I didn't have a choice._

 _I also want to warn you: You cannot tell another living soul about the contents in this letter. It doesn't matter who. Not Emily, not Aunt Kelly, not even Brandon. I'm serious. If you say anything, you're putting the lives of my friends at severe risk. I wouldn't be sending this letter if I thought I couldn't trust you._

 _That being said, it's time I come clean with you._

 _I never got a scholarship at Kalos University. I did get my degree, but not in Kalos. The letter I showed you, the way I showed you it: it was all planned. I practiced for days in secret in order to sound convincing._

 _It starts shortly after I turned 15, about two and a half years into my journey. At this point, my pokemon and I had bonded extremely well: we were strong, powerful, smart, and worked great as a team. It just so happened that we were in Kalos at the time; in Lumiose City. Horus hadn't evolved quite yet; I was letting him choose what he wanted to evolve into, and he hadn't decided. We entered the city with him sleeping on my head, nestled in my hair like he always did back before we moved out of Unova._

 _What an odd sight we were! A fifteen year old kid with a shiny Eevee sleeping perched in his hair, walking through the streets without a care in the world. Then again, I've seen much, much stranger things there since, all of which were treated as perfectly normal, so I suppose it was the simple fact that I had a shiny Eevee with me that turned heads. Soon I had a small crowd asking questions._

 _Of course, that publicity didn't help in the long run. That night, after Horus and I had eaten our fill at the Pokemon Center, we were in the lobby while my old friend Greninja (who is currently training under world renowned water Pokemon Master Misty) was getting treated for some injuries he received during a battle earlier that day (you should've seen his opponent, Rhyperior. He was a mess!). Horus was sleeping in my lap, in full view, when the Center doors were wrenched open and several people in black masks and dark clothing came rushing in. I knew almost immediately what was going on; I tried to run for it, throwing Horus up the stairs ahead of me, we were aiming for the back exit. However, almost as soon as he left my arms I was shot. My leg erupted in pain and I screamed like I had never screamed before. I yelled at Horus to run for it, but someone kicked me in the back of the head and I fainted._

 _I was out for about two minutes, I think, but it was enough for them to get a hold of Horus. When I woke up, I realized the robbers had been pinned down in the Center. The glass had been blown to smithereens and through them I could see dozens of cops and trainers with super powerful pokemon, hunkered down, aimed at the building. That is, until one of the terrorists yelled out._

" _You will let us go right now, or the Eevee gets it!" I watched from my position on the ground, having not moved lest I get seen and killed. He had Horus by the scruff of the neck, pulling the skin and fur so taut that it would later become a permanent injury for him, even after evolving._

 _One by one, the police and trainers retreated, and the kidnappers, four in total, slowly walked out of the Pokemon Center, Horus trapped, helpless and yelping in agony as the pistol was buried into the fur on top of his head._

 _I wouldn't let anything happen to him. Ever._

 _The terrorists took no notice of me as I struggled to my feet, trying not to cry out with my leg throbbing like it was. I limped toward them, determined to get Horus back or die trying. One of the lead officers locked eyes with me. He flashed his eyes in the direction of the bandits, and the Kadabra at his shoulder spoke to me telepathically._

" _Distract them. A moment is all we need."_

 _I yelled, "HEY!" And without waiting for a reply, I tackled the guy behind the leader. He topped into the leader, knocking his arm sideways, the pistol out of harm's way. Kadabra teleported to me, took my shirt in one hand and Horus's ear in the other, then teleported back to safety. The cops opened fire, shredding the terrorists to bits. I didn't know about that last part until later, because I was disoriented from teleportation and blood loss._

 _When I woke a few hours later in a hospital room, there was the cop sitting in a chair beside me. He was petting Horus, who was laying on his lap, sleeping. I could see his fur stained with tears, but he slept peacefully. The man looked at me, his eyes both kind and venomous. I knew immediately I wanted to be able to look that way, to be able to comfort those who needed it, protect those who couldn't protect themselves, and to frighten and defeat those who wished to do harm._

 _The man was working with the Kalos Police at the time, but he was actually a private investigator by the codename of Agent Looker. He was fairly clean shaven, though he informed me he usually isn't, had dark, intelligent, yet friendly eyes, and mess of black hair. He wore a brown trench coat and expensive looking dress shoes that, upon closer inspection, would in fact be great for running in._

 _I think he knew the look I gave him. He asked me if I wanted to join him as his apprentice. I was impressed, though I think his friend Kadabra simply read my mind. He told me that he doesn't usually take on trainees, but that I had shown promise and bravery the night before. A few weeks later, we had devised a plan to allow me to work with him. I wrote to you in a letter that I had decided to settle in Kalos for a while and get my degree. In actuality, I went to Johto and started combat training, similar to those who joined the Johto Marines._

 _Looker warned me that it would be hard, if not impossible for me to complete the courses, but with my friends at my side (who had been allowed to stay on the base with me,) I persevered. I made it all the way through to the end, but when it came time to graduate and become a Marine, I instead opted to become Looker's pupil. He trained and taught me how to investigate a crime scene, to be just as good as he was, and still is. At sixteen, I sent you a letter with a fake Kalos University Degree, but in fact I had gotten my education in Johto with a 3.2 GPA, rather than 3.5 as I had told you about. Enclosed is my actual Degree._

 _Jump ahead to about three months ago. Now my friends and I had been traveling for almost seven years, during which we'd made quite a name for ourselves among the Police Departments and Leagues throughout the world, due to our success in many cases. We'd been undefeated for months. Horus had evolved, Noivern was at his peak, Herdier (whom I actually received as a reward for my training; he has an excellent nose) evolved into Stoutland, and Sigilyph was learning to use his telekinetic abilities to detect clues. My job as a Private Investigator had taken us to Sinnoh's Pastoria City, where rumor was the organization known as Team Galactic was going to attempt to steal a Legendary Pokemon from Lake Valor. (Looker was investigating a hunch link between Team Galactic and Team Plasma in Nuvema.)_

 _That's right. You read it correctly. At the time, I didn't know Team Galactic's full plans, but I couldn't stand by and watch as they took Azelf. When I got there, shit was in full swing. Azelf's cave had already been revealed, and Team Galactic was attempting to force entry inside with dynamite. They were going to blast the cave to bits and take Azelf when he attempted escape._

 _I wasn't going to let that happen. I snuck around the back of the cave and, with Sigilyph's and Horus's help, spotted a small boulder that could be moved to form a back entrance. I managed to get inside without getting seen. Azelf greeted me wearily, and it was no easy feat to earn his trust. After a while though, I convinced him of my plan. I captured him in a pokeball and, when Team Galactic blasted the cave open, Sigilyph launched the rock projectiles at them with Psychic, then covered our asses as Noivern and I flew out and into the heavens. I quickly returned Sigilyph as Team Galactic rapidly got over their confusion and gave chase._

 _We hightailed it back to Pastoria City. The whole time Noivern flew at top speed, swerving and looping to dodge the endless hyper beams and other attacks that flew at us. We managed to make it to Pastoria, and Team Plasma was forced to retreat lest they alert the police to their presence. I went to the Pokemon Center, allowed my team to be handed over to Nurse Joy to be healed, then got a private, soundproof room to spend the night in. There, I released Azelf from his pokeball. He thanked me immensely and then, before I could react, a white flash erupted into the room and two trainers were teleported in. Both were wearing pajamas, one in a short underskirt with blueish black hair that draped to her neck, with blue eyes, and the other with a tee shirt and black shorts, with a mess of gold-blonde hair and orange eyes, and a green scarf wrapped around his neck for some reason. All three of us stared silently at each other for a moment, then at Azelf, who simply snickered before floating over to me and landing across my neck, like an cuddling cat._

" _Um, hi," the girl said. "I'm Dawn. This is Barry. Is that Azelf?"_

 _I saw no other way out of the conversation at that point. "Yeah. Why'd you teleport them here?" I asked Azelf._

 _Barry answered the question instead. "I think it's because Uxie and Mesprit are traveling with us."_

" _WHAT?!" I had nearly shouted. In answer, Barry and Dawn had each taken a pokeball from their pajama pockets and revealed Uxie and Mesprit respectively. Humans in the room were in shock, of course, but the trio of pokemon seemed perfectly happy with the situation, landing on the edge of my bed and hugging together._

 _Finally having gotten over our shock, the three of us discussed the recent events. It turns out these two are actually extremely good trainers, apparently Elite Four worthy, but they had opted out of the League in exchange for their traveling together. They had been mildly investigating Team Galactic's movements as well, and had even teamed up with another trainer to destroy a base of theirs. During the base destruction, they had found sensitive info (all of which they had given me in the form of a HDD that they had stolen) that detailed the raids on Lake Valor, Lake Acuity, and Lake Verity, where the Trio of pokemon were rumored (and now proven true) to have resided. Barry and Dawn had both saved a legendary in a similar battle to mine._

 _At this point, the three legendaries stopped their conversation and reunion and asked us a rather important question: If we would keep them in our custody to protect them. This was an extremely important question as it meant making ourselves even bigger targets for Team Galactic, and any others that wanted their hands on Mesprit, Uxie, or Azelf. It wasn't a question to be taken lightly._

 _We all agreed at once, of course._

 _After that, you see, I stopped sending letters. I had to keep as unconnected as I could. Sending a letter meant risking getting you all hurt, or worse. I couldn't do it._

 _From there, Barry, Dawn, and I went our separate ways (those two together, they seemed happy… I love you, Tracey!). I started heading towards Veilstone City, thinking I could discover more in the ruins of the building, which had been secured quickly by police for investigation. However, as I was leaving Pastoria, I saw the news article about Terry's heroics in Unova's Striaton City._

 _I thought it was a lie. I thought I was hallucinating. But no, it was real! Terry was traveling, he looked well (excluding the fact that at the time he was bedridden in the hospital with a shot up leg, of course). Alex was with him, too. I wanted to drop everything and go see him, but I knew my duty must come first._

 _And so my travels continued: I headed through Sinnoh's route 214, appearing in Veilstone City a few days later. When I arrived, I dropped off my pokemon friends at the Pokemon Center and immediately went to the now destroyed Galactic HQ. It had been disguised as a simple tech store, whose extremely soundproofed floor had masked the horrors going on below. Even as I arrived officers were looking at the remains from a distance. Several pokemon, shaking as they looked at the ruins, rubbed wrists or other body parts as they, with the help of a Telepathic or Auric translator pokemon, explained the events before their rescue. My heart was torn to pieces as I heard horror story after horror story, all ending with the similar angelic scene of the doors being blasted to bits and the pokemon gently being removed from their experimental chambers, before being gently raised onto stretchers._

 _A couple of the officers finally noticed me and quickly cleared the way, recognizing me immediately. As I entered the rubble, another officer catching me up, I spotted none other than Agent Looker running towards me. He nodded to the officer, respectively dismissing him. In moments we were alone in the rubble._

 _Looker gazed around at the remains of the building, which had been blasted to bits by Dawn, Barry, and the other mystery trainer. "This is the part I absolutely hate about this job."_

 _He spoke with an angry disgust in his voice, and I found myself agreeing with him. That point was the closest I've come to quitting my career in the seven years of my experience. We said no more other than the occasional reference to the land in which we searched through for nearly nine hours, combing the entire thing inch by decimated inch._

 _It was backbreaking and tedious, and each corner we looked through revealed nothing except more unimaginable horrors. For about ninety five percent of the time we searched, the only thing we confirmed was that we weren't facing just an organized criminal society._

 _We were facing an army of absolutely homicidal maniacs._

 _At last, at long last, our search was down to one room. To my relief, it wasn't an experiment room: I needed no more images crammed in my head. The server room had been mostly destroyed, but we jury rigged a few things here and there and managed to get a single, spider cracked monitor online._

 _What we found would end up changing my life._

 _A severe firewall had threatened to eliminate all the files on what was left of the server, but thanks to Looker's and my extensive practice, combined with the two of us working in tandem on two keyboards, we managed to disable it. The information was a gold mine: officers and techs had originally thought the info unattainable._

 _We should've known it was too good to be true._

 _The information detailed a base, a Team Galactic Base, hidden deep within Mount. Coronet. Not only that, it detailed their plans of genetic enhancements for Pokemon using the DNA of Shiny Pokemon._

 _The most important info of all: Terry, Alex, Agent Looker, Dawn, Barry, and I had all been labeled highest priority targets. Grunts had orders to shoot on sight if we so much as got spotted in public. They also wanted Angel (Terry's Gardevoir, Kirlia at the time,) and Horus, to use their DNA in their augmentations._

 _It was decided that night: Agents Looker, Cool (AKA Team Dim Sun Leader Ice - turned Ranger in exchange for freedom), Fire Fist (AKA Flint, Fire Pokemon Master of the Sinnoh Elite Four), and yours truly, Moon Shine (On account of my partner, Horus the Shiny Umbreon), would infiltrate the Galactic Base at the coordinates shown on the Servers. Our mission was to find out all there was to know about the extent of Team Galactic's plans and, if the opportunity arose, disrupt them as much as humanly possible._

 _We point blank refused to take our pokemon with us, though they argued immensely. In the end we threatened to have them drugged until we got back. Some almost wanted that: our pokemon had all been with us since step one (excluding Ice), and they knew just how incredibly dangerous this infiltration was going to be._

 _If we only knew the truth. Oh Arceus, if we had only known the truth…_

 _In order to arrive undetected, we needed to be grunts. That in mind, we attacked a supply truck that we suspected was delivering a supply of weapons to the Base. There were four grunts inside. We killed three outright, and left the last to Cool: Unlike the rest of us, he knew how to get people to talk. Sure enough, moments later Ice called out and signaled the end of the man's suffering. We returned just in time to see Ice's Froslass teleporting away, giggling, and the captured grunt was a crying, babbling mess. He told us everything we needed in order to sound convincing when we entered the Base._

 _We stole the guy's truck, any electronics he had, and his ID, and told him to take himself to the Police Station in HeartHome City. If he cooperated, he could be cleared of all charges. Then we left him - we had more important things to do. From there, we drove to the coordinates, practicing lines, passwords, and even a secret hand signal, so we could gain entrance. When we arrived at the Base, a lone guard that was posted at the gate leveled his M16 at us. The secret location was hidden in a crevice that, unless looked at extremely closely, looks too dangerous to drive through. He narrowed his eyes at Looker, who was at the wheel, but his expression cleared after we confirmed our identities to be of those we assassinated, our practice having come through. He let us through._

 _Oh Arceus, how cruel can Fate truly be…_

 _We arrived at the parking area, which was completely deserted. We got out, each of us taking a box in our arms to look convincing, and hustled into the entrance, which was carved right into the rock. Inside was a long steel hallway. Cool and I took the lead, with Fire Fist and Looker a few paces behind._

 _Cool and I took two steps into the doorway and immediately a steel wall, at least two inches thick, smashed down from the ceiling, demolishing the doorway and sealing us in. Fire Fist and Looker banged on the doors, but without their pokemon it was useless._

 _It was a trap._

" _RUN!" I screamed at them. "THEY'LL BE COMING FOR YOU! GET OUT - GET THE SINNOH COMPANY! GO!"_

 _They wanted nothing to do with that plan, but it wasn't like we had a choice. A moment later their footsteps faded as they ran into the darkness. I glance at Cool, his expression of calm laced for the first time with a hint of fear. We both knew what was in store for us._

 _I grimaced and pulled my AK off it's back holster. Cool does the same. "Take as many down with us as we can?" he asks cockily._

" _I'll die with two of them smashed under my feet and another impaled on my dagger, or I won't die at all," I'd responded. From there we'd charged down the corridor, burst fire echoing painfully as pokemon and people in Team Galactic uniforms started appearing from all sides. We ducked and rolled, our training getting put to the test._

 _We almost made it._

 _If we had gotten to the Power Grid, we could've destroyed it and in doing so make an escape. We were at the damn doorway when Cool screamed. A pokemon - I think it was a houndoom - had gotten to him while he was reloading and torn the gun out of his hands, along with part of his trigger hand._

 _I was pulling him into the doorway when something big rampaged into my field of vision. The next thing I knew was a sea of black._

 _I woke in a lab days later, or that's the Leader of Team Galactic told me, anyway. Yes. Cyrus himself visited me. He explained the server room, how an undercover Grunt had planted the system like it was in order to get a hostage._

 _Then he revealed Cool, tied to a chair. "DON'T TELL THEM AN-" was all he managed to scream before a grunt stuffed a gag forcibly into his mouth._

 _Cyrus chained me to the floor, attaching a shackle to my head in such a way that I couldn't look anywhere except at Cool._

 _Then they started. His screams were the likes of which I had never, ever heard before. He screamed and screamed and screamed, and I sobbed, knowing that it would only stop if I betrayed my home Region. But he had told me not to tell, and if there was one thing I had learned about Ice in the short time I had known him it is that he would only be ashamed of me if I were to spare him. Every passing second his cries increased, but he didn't utter a single word._

 _And neither did I._

 _And then it was my turn._

 _Cool and I had locked eyes: he was beaten to a pulp, spasming as the electricity still in his system messed with him, bleeding profusely from lacerations up and down his arms and legs. He wouldn't last the night._

 _They were much left destructive with me: I knew from that point that they wanted to get as much time with me as possible. In Cool's last moments, I knew he wouldn't forgive me if I were to talk._

 _I made a promise to him: never utter a word._

 _For the next month and a half, they threw me in a prison cell, where I would sleep on the floor, eat moldy bits of bread, expecting my only change of scenery to be the fleeting minutes when I was dragged to the first room, where I would be pitted against every method of torture Team Galactic could think of._

 _Then she came. I was laying in my cell when all of a sudden a bright flash illuminated the room and an Alakazam was floating in front of me. A girl in her late thirties stood next to him. She offered me her hand. I took it. We vanished._

 _We reappeared a few miles from the base, where I was handed over to the authorities and medics. I was helivaced to the nearest Pokemon Center: the one in HeartHome City. I didn't know what to think; I even suspected it was an illusion, some new way of getting me to talk. It wasn't until Horus and the rest of my team had appeared in my hospital room doorway, and Horus had jumped onto my bed, that I knew I was safe. I broke down, shattered, and it was several days before I could think about that place without sobbing incoherently. The officials were very lenient, to which I was grateful. I eventually told them everything, and it was I who lit the shroud for Ice about a week and a half after my rescue. A few days later, Terry's taking over of Ghetsis's plane took place, and I realized he was in Sinnoh. I resolved to travel to see him. It took over a month to get to Jubilife: I was still horribly injured and had to go extremely slow lest I hurt myself further._

 _I never wanted to tell you this, but after seeing Mother earlier today… Well, I realize for the first time just how incredibly fast everything can be taken away. I couldn't lose you all without telling you the truth. I am sorry that I lied to you._

 _I will help end this war if it's the last thing I do. I swear it._

 _I love you all._

 _-Junior_


	12. Chapter XI: A Gathering of Allies (1-2)

**-Floaroma Pokemon Center, Angel's POV (Shiny Gardevoir), 9:20 AM-**

I lay in bed, trying to form some sort of comprehensible thought. Terry lays next to me, still sleeping soundly, something both he and I thought wouldn't happen, considering recent events. I wrap my arms around him, carefully pulling myself closer in a way that won't jab him with my spike. I know it's where my telekinetic power manifests, but sometimes I really wish it wasn't there. It gets in the way.

Perhaps he wasn't as heavily asleep as I thought, because as I rest my face into the crook of his neck he stirs. He takes a deep breath but doesn't pull away, instead moving his arms and returning the embrace. We stay like that for several minutes.

As the electronic clock next to us hits nine thirty, Terry sighs deeply. He pulls his arms off me and pushes himself up. Accidentally, or perhaps purposefully, I'm not sure, one of his hands brushes against my crotch. I shoot a look at him, one laced with a heavy blush, and he returns it with a sincerely apologetic one. I let it slide.

I'm willing to bet money he saw what I dreamed last night. I didn't know it was possible for us to share dreams, but as deeply bonded as we are, I guess I shouldn't rule it out.

I banish these thoughts quickly from my head as I get out of bed, yawning. Terry smiles at me, then opens the sliding glass door and steps out onto the small patio of our hotel room. He shuts it quickly, which I'm thankful for. Those Arceus damned flowers were a bit much.

He stares out over the horizon, the sun just rising over the sea of petals that make up this town. I'm ready to go before he reenters, so I'm laying back on the bed when he does. He lays down beside me and I move so my back is laying against his chest.

It's the first time in weeks since we've been able to simply lay in a PR position, and I sigh contentedly as my emotional track clears. Terry relaxes, too, the tension going out of his body. He groans.

" _I haven't felt this relaxed in weeks,"_ he thinks, though I can tell the thoughts are directed at me. " _I'm always ready to jump up at once, like a spring that's never allowed to uncoil. It feels like shit."_

I giggle despite the seriousness of the statement, but broadcast my response telepathically. _You can blame Ghetsis for that_.

" _Agreed. Speaking of which… Angel…"_

 _Yes?_

" _I want to go back to Unova."_

Never in all my life would I have expected to hear those words. Not after everything that had gone on down there. Hell, while he was sleeping a couple days ago he was muttering to himself about picking a house out in Kalos. He was dreaming of course, but even though he never said anything I knew that, even before his parents were killed, that he wouldn't _ever_ step foot in Unova again. _Why?_

" _Mom and Dad's funeral."_ I suck in a deep breath at that. I was a bit nervous at the prospect: I had been to one for Alex's grandfather, and it was completely different from Pokemon honors. It was respectful, peaceful, and tear-jerking, but it seemed disturbing as well: laying a dead body into a wooden box, which would sink into the ground, eventually to decay. I didn't enjoy it, but I understood the importance to their family.

" _We don't have to stay very long,"_ Terry adds hurriedly, rubbing my shoulders. " _I don't want to stay long either. Just… long enough to say goodbye."_

 _No, of course we can,_ I shoot back. _I do want to go. It just makes me a bit nervous, that's all… They were all I had for parents, too, really._

That's true, too. Terry's mother and stepfather (and biological father, too, though I don't include him anymore,) found me as an egg, apparently abandoned in the wild. When I hatched, they allowed Terry to raise me. They distanced themselves a bit, perhaps even then knowing that we would prefer growing up like friends rather than siblings, yet still treated me with kindness and love.

Terry sighs in agreeance, before kissing me atop my hair and getting up. The bed seems cold without him, so I quickly follow. I smooth my blue hair and dress-like skin as we exit the room.

 **-Amber's POV, 9:32 AM-**

I wince in sympathy as I rub my fingers gently over Nicky's shoulder. The Gallade is almost fully recovered, but the cuts on his shoulders had been infected before Nurse Joy was able to see him. While the infection itself is finally gone, the cuts still have a long way to go, and the skin is scarring jaggedly.

"You should've let me know sooner that it was bothering you so much," I say sternly. Nicky smiles guiltily and sits down on the hospital bed. Nurse Joy sighs at him.

"She's right," Joy says. "Luckily for you I've got some of these." Nurse Joy hands me a small bottle. "Give one of these to him every morning, it should take the edge off."

I nod, taking the bottle and putting it securely into the front pocket of my backpack, zipping it shut. "Thanks, Nurse Joy."

Nurse Joy nods. "Your Riolu and Turtwig are fighting fit. As for this one," she says, gesturing to the Gallade beside me, "I would advise against it, but he can start training again, but nothing extreme." She fixes Nicky with a deadly stare to get her point across, and the Gallade seems to shrink under her gaze.

Never before did I think a Nurse could look evil. I stand corrected.

A few moments later Nicky and I exit the small hospital room and end up in the lobby. Nicky points to a corner of the room, where a familiar trainer is standing next to a couple of his pokemon. I nod and follow him over, sitting on the couch next to Junior, who nods in greeting. Nicky strikes up a conversation with one of the pokemon Junior is attending to: a large, dog like pokemon covered in brown and blue fur. I choke down a laugh as the discussion, which I can understand mostly well, turns quickly to politics.

Nicky glances at me. " _What?"_ he says defensively.

"Nothing," I respond quickly. "It's just… I don't know. Politics?"

Junior raises a brow at his Stoutland. "You're a political analyzer now? I thought you were my best nose," he says jokingly. Stoutland barks out a laugh.

" _What do you mean, 'best nose?'"_ Nicky asks. I can tell Junior has no idea what he said, but the look gets across.

Junior looks confused. "Sorry," he says. "I'm the normal human of the group. Translator, please?"

"He asked: 'What do you mean, 'best nose?'" Terry's voice rings out over the clamor of the center. We turn in unison as the psychic appears, scratching Horus behind the ears. Angel is behind him, effectively ignoring the stares the surrounding crowd is starting to entertain us with.

"Oh," Junior responds in understanding. "She's a big help in my job," he explains simply. Nicky nods, though I can tell he isn't satisfied with that description.

"We should go somewhere a bit more private," Terry says. "We've plans to make."

Junior nods and returns Stoutland and Umbreon. I glance at Nicky, but he vigorously shakes his head, so I opt to allow him to stay outside of his pokeball. Our group heads out the Center doors, Terry and Angel in the lead, Junior following, with Nicky and I bringing up the rear. As the door closes behind us, I click the button on another pokeball. Athena appears, the white fur of the Riolu still startling me slightly. She walks along beside me, talking excitedly to Nicky, he responds, acting like a brother to her. He gives me a sideways grin when I catch his eye.

A few minutes of walking later, our group sits down in a patch of grass, shaded by a couple of trees. I flop down, leaning back against the tree, and Athena and Nicky sit down beside me. Terry and the others follow suit.

"Well," Terry says haltingly, "Well… You all know the idea. We're all involved in this. And apparently, we're all high priority targets for Team Galactic and their buddies. With that in mind, I think our next move is to beeline for Celestic Town."

"That's where Diantha, Cynthia, and my mom are, right?" I ask.

Terry nods. "Yep, and you can get there by heading through the Eterna Forest to Eterna City, then heading East to Celestic Town. However… I can't go. Not yet, anyway."

Junior leans forward at that. "Your parent's funeral?"

Terry nods again, looking suddenly numb. "Probably not their funeral, not this early. But I want to say goodbye, at least a quick one. I'll grieve later," he adds, glancing at me. "Not now, with a threat this size on us. Anyway… Junior, you and Amber can head to Celestic Town. Angel and I will catch a flight back to Unova, and we can meet you all there."

Junior raises a finger. "Hold on a second. Celestic Town doesn't have an airport. How the hell are you going to get there? The second you get back, Team Galactic will be all over you. This is assuming Amber and I don't get captured and held hostage."

I gulp. "There's a chance for that?"

"A miniscule one," Terry says, shooting a look at Junior. "Thanks for that review, Captain Sunshine. Fortunately, since you've got that private investigator training, you shouldn't have a problem."

Junior clenches his fists. "Keep outta my head, Terry. That isn't funny. And I was going to tell you."

Terry shrugs. "You'd be surprised how hard it is to keep out of someone's head when they don't have any training at keeping me out. It's like a fucking scream: kinda hard not to overhear. Why do you think I try to avoid crowds?"

It's obvious he's not looking for an answer, and Junior doesn't give him one. He just sighs, unfolding his hands. "We're going to be attacked if we separate. If that happens, I'd rather it be on my terms, not theirs." He turns to me. "You afraid of heights, Amber?"

He grins at my expression.

 **-High in the Sky, Angel's POV, 6:23AM (Next Day)-**

Arceus, I hate these damned pokeballs.

Our group had gone our separate ways shortly after we finished our planning. Terry and I managed to combine our energy and teleport to Jubilife. From there, we beelined to the airport and managed to secure a couple of tickets for the next flight to Unova. Unfortunately, due to the fire, we'd have to stop in Castelia and catch another, smaller plane the next morning.

The airline was strict about their rules of pokemon on board the planes, something I found offensive but understandable. With that in mind, I resolved myself for a very uncomfortable flight. Granted, the Luxury Ball Terry had bought me years ago still had it's appeal over that stupid pokeball I had received in the beginning, but it definitely wasn't habit-inducing.

Terry had dozed for most of the flight, something I tried to replicate. Thankfully, Arceus had had mercy and we're on the final stretch, having flown (and slept) all night. I stretch as best I can within the holographic field that is my room.

 _How long until we land, do you think?_

Terry hears the thought I direct at him. As he considers this, I telepathically link our vision. In a moment, it's not the small room I'm seeing but instead I'm looking through the eyes of my trainer as he gazes around. The other passengers all seem eager to get off as well, and there is a child crying a couple of seats behind him. I quickly remove myself.

He grins. " _Not soon enough."_ His snicker is evident even through his telepathy. " _The pilot said we've got about ten minutes. That was a few minutes ago."_

I sigh. _Good. This pokeball is getting claustrophobic._

" _I don't blame you,"_ he responds. " _Those damn things suck, even the Luxury Balls. Don't worry though, once we land we've got all day to hang around. The next flight to Nuvema is only for a select group of passengers, and thankfully Officer Jenny was able to commander a couple of seats for us. It doesn't take off until tomorrow at noon, and you'll be able to stay out during the flight."_

I sigh in relief, and a few minutes of silence later, we've landed. Terry grabs his pack and takes his turn exiting the plane. After a few moments, a soft beep emanates from somewhere in my room and suddenly I'm ejected onto the airport floor. I quickly get my balance, sighing deeply.

"Oh, thank Arceus," I say, stretching my arms briefly over my head. Terry chuckles as we set off, ignoring nearby stares. We make small talk as we head out of the airport. When we get onto the familiar streets, I'm hit with a peculiar sense of happiness and dread. Terry grimaces.

We don't say anything but instead head down the street. I follow Terry, but after a few minutes I realize we're not headed for the PokeCenter. I'm confused as Terry takes a few turns, until I look up at the building we've arrived at and see that it's the gym. He heads inside, and I follow.

We walk through a hallway to the stands, which stand empty. It's eerily silent, nothing like the roaring we'd heard when we challenged the gym. It seems like another lifetime.

Terry vaults over the wall of the stands and falls the ten foot drop to the floor below, catching himself with his telekinesis. He stops in the middle of the grassy field, silent. I follow, stopping a couple steps behind him.

"Terry…?" I ask quietly.

He turns around, an apologetic look on his face. "Sorry, Angel," he says sheepishly. "I'm… well, I dunno. I had to see this place again."

I realize now where we're standing. It's been repaired, but there's no mistake: we'd crashed here so long ago. It was the moment where everything changed. For worse, but also for better.

We embrace, and when our lips meet, it feels different. It's passionate, lingering: as if some sort of barrier between us has been shattered.

We're still glued together a minute later when the sound of a throat clearing sounds behind us. We break apart quickly and turn to see Burgh, the Castelia Gym Leader, standing in the doorway.

He looks sincerely sorry, and embarrassed, as he speaks up. "Erm, sorry to interrupt…"

Terry shrugs it off, but he's bright red. "No problem, Burgh. We were just heading out."

We meet him in the doorway as he responds. "Actually, Terry, there was someone looking for you. I think you know him."

Burgh moves to the side of the entrance, and another man steps into view. I gasp.

He's about six feet tall, with dyed silver hair and dark eyes. A scar runs vertically above and below his eye, as if he had been slashed with a sword and it hadn't come close enough to take it out. His black trench coat, complete with silver trim, flutters slightly as he crosses his arms. A beautiful sword painted black and red rests across his back. He looks so entirely different, but there's no mistaking him.

Zeke Walker.

Terry whistles. "Damn, Zeke. You got a makeover," he jokes, holding out his hand. Zeke smirks and shakes it. "Where've you been?"

"Long story," he responds. His face falls. "I heard about your parents. I'm sorry."

Terry shrugs. "Thanks, Zeke. Shall we head to the PokeCenter?"

Zeke nods, so the four of us set off. Burgh excuses himself to take care of some matters concerning his gym. Zeke's got a personal car, complete with an agent in a black suit and sunglasses, like something straight out of the spy movies Terry and I used to watch so long ago. Terry and I get in the back, while Zeke ride shotgun.

As the car gets rolling, it's tinted windows offering us blissful privacy, I get a sudden, fluttering feeling in my stomach. I glance at my midsection, nervous, but Terry starts talking and I simply try to forget about it. Moments later it passes.

"How'd you find us so fast?" Terry asks.

"A friend," Zeke says simply. "A third party affiliate and the Sinnoh Company's doing. They've been tracking you for safety's sake. Once you went back to Unova, they contacted me. I figured I'd drop in and say hi. Oh, and also give you a private ride through Castelia."

Zeke reclines his chair slightly, although it doesn't hinder the spacious back seat in the slightest. "I hear the hotspot for battle right now is supposedly in Celestic Town," Zeke continues. "I plan on heading up there in a day or two. Keyword _plan_. With Unova's main threat neutralized, We're trying to send soldiers up into Sinnoh. The problem is that the Sinnoh Company is in the dark on most, if not all of Team Galactic's plans."

Terry raises a brow at this. "They interviewed the ever living shit out of me, and I gave them detailed answers. How are they in the dark?"

Zeke grimaces. "No offense, Terry, but you were kinda in shock. What you defined as detailed and what the Sinnoh Company defined as detailed were a tad bit different."

It's Terry's turn to wince. "Well… I've got information. They'll think I'm a lunatic, but I think it's time I get the word out."

At this, Zeke actually turns around in his seat. "What're you saying?"

 **-Castelia Pokemon Center, Unknown's POV, 7:12 PM-**

"So that's him, eh?" The older one said. He watched as a teenager, a beautiful looking pokemon, and an older man carrying a sword across his back enter the Pokemon Center.

"That's him," the second one responded. "I'm a tad bit more interested in that Gardevoir, though…"

"Don't even think about it," the other argued. "You've seen what he can do. Besides-"

"Yeah. I know. We're on their side."

 **-Castelia Pokemon Center, Angel's POV, 7:13 PM-**

I nervously stand by as Terry talks to Nurse Joy, securing a room for us. Zeke stands at my side, gazing around the center, emitting a laid back attitude. After a moment, Terry pockets a keycard and steps back.

"That should do it," he says.

Zeke nods. "I'll meet you two tomorrow then. We've a long flight ahead."

Terry grimaces and shakes Zeke's hand, then joins me in watching as he departs. Once he leaves, Terry surprises me by taking my hand in his and walking smoothly from the room. As we get to the stairs, the strange fluttering comes back, but in force.

A moment later we're at our room, I walk in and lay on the bed as Terry locks the door behind me. When he joins me, I get nervously excited.

We kiss.

 _ **(Author's Note)**_

 _ **For those few of you who realize what exactly is going on in the last couple of scenes in this chapter, a one-shot will be posted soon. It isn't a required read to understand the remainder of the story, but the plot does get affected by it.**_

 _ **Lastly, and most importantly: After a large request from many, many viewers, after loads of positive support, I am once again joined by a fellow author by the name of Zenxolu! The style of our collab will be the same: We'll both be coming up with ideas, writing in our respective character's POV on each of our stories, in our own style.**_

 _ **Although I've already done it on my profile, I'll do it again for document's sake: I, Orthros (**_ _ **u/7535289/**_ _ **), hereby give Zenxolu**_ _ **(**_ _ **u/7529950/**_ _ **)**_ _**full permission to use the characters, plot, and ideas from 'Gallade, My Brother' as he so chooses. Zen has given me permission to use his as well.**_


	13. Chapter XII: A Gathering Of Allies (2-2)

_**(Author's Note: For those of you who couldn't tell, Terry and Angel had their first sexual experience at the end of chapter XI, as implied. The Lemon has been put up as a separate One Shot, if you would like to read it. If you're not into that kind of thing, simply take note that it has happened and continue on with the story. You shouldn't be hindered in the slightest. Also, Cyrus's design is based off of DeviantArt user jaeon009's original redesign, and he owns the design. All I did was explain it in words on this Chapter.)**_

 **-Castelia Pokemon Center, Terry's POV, 8:57 AM-**

I wake groggily, knowing that morning means abandoning the warm bed I lay in. Angel sleeps in my arms, and we're much closer than we usually are, faces only a couple inches apart.

It takes me a moment later to remember what we'd done last night. I feel a mixture of pride, love, and shame. This only grows more intense when I realize I have to pull myself out. I do so, and a surprisingly audible _pop!_ emanates from under the covers. The sound wakes the shiny Gardevoir in front of me. She smiles, blushing, remembering the night before.

"I enjoyed it," she says playfully. Without waiting for a reply, she pushes the covers off herself and gets out of bed. As she walks over to the bathroom, I can see a trail of pearly white liquid against her slightly duller legs, as well as a small amount of dried blood. The door closes and I hear the water start running.

I take a moment to shake off the cobwebs of the morning. If I'm honest with myself, I enjoyed it, too. I've wanted her for a while, and she's wanted me. We love each other, and the bullshit concerning Pokephilia wasn't going to change that. What I'm more concerned with is the possibility that I got in a lot deeper than I would prefer to handle, especially during a war.

 _I hope I didn't get her pregnant,_ I think guiltily to myself. Pokemon usually took a few days to show signs of pregnancy, and it wouldn't be long after that when an egg would be produced. I don't know if that would change with my semen, but it's definitely a possibility.

I banish those thoughts from my head as the water turns off, quickly jumping up and throwing on my day old pants. After a moment Angel opens the door, and my eyes widen a fraction. She's got her dresslike skin parted, blatantly revealing her breasts and slit. She grins at me, walking over and hugging me, carefully maneuvering around her spike.

I hug her back, speaking into her hair as I kiss the top of her head: "Don't make this a regular thing, but I enjoyed it, too." She laughs, breaking away and covering herself once again. I grab a change of clothes and take my turn in the shower.

 _Damn, she's changed…_

 **-Sinnoh Region, High in the Sky, Third Person, 11:30 AM (One Day Ago)-**

"I thought you said you weren't afraid of heights!"

"IN PLANES AND THE LIKE! SHE IS _NOT_ A PLANE!"

"Just try to relax, eh? Noivern, fly a bit lower, too."

A rumble sounds from the Dragon type as she chuckles, before dipping her purplish black snout slightly towards the ground. The Sound Wave Pokemon and her two riders slowly lower closer to the forest floor. They level out just above the treetops, earning an excellent view of the surrounding landscape: a large, dense forest to their left, the rising summit of Mount Coronet off to their right. Despite her minor panic, Amber couldn't help but admire it.

"That's it, Amber," Junior says from his position behind her. He wraps his arms around her waist and leans forwards a bit, forcing her slightly lower onto Noivern's back. The slipstream seemed to loose a bit of it's strength. "Enjoying the view?"

"It's beautiful," Amber responds. She quiets down for a moment, then mumbles; "Sorry, Junior."

Junior laughs. "I'll be honest, the first time I rode Noivern, I panicked worse than you. And I was 17. No, really!" he adds at the girl's disbelieving laughter. "She wouldn't let me down for a good half hour, either. I very nearly released her for it. I'm glad I didn't, though," he adds gratefully, stroking one hand over her wings, which were stiffened, gliding smoothly across the winds.

A multicolored blur flashed across their line of sight, and a moment later Sigilyph was flying alongside them. She brushed a wingtip on Junior's shoulder in greeting, then flew ahead and banked off to the east. Noivern followed, taking much less of a bank in the turn. "Sigilyph is my main guide," Junior explains. "She's really good with direction. Also, if you just _happened_ to fall, she'd catch you with Psychic, so no need to worry."

Amber nods, watching the golden pokemon. She sighed. _I'm supposed to be tough_ , she thinks annoyedly to herself. _And here I am panicking over a small flight on a Pokemon. Get a GRIP, Amber!_

"Shit!" she's jerked out of her thoughts by Junior's shouted curse. Patting Noivern on her head, he braces himself, one hand holding Amber, as Noivern goes into a near vertical rise. Amber screams out in surprise, but it's drowned out by a loud explosion coming from below them. Smoke rises quickly, Noivern banking almost upside down to fly out of the fumes. Junior mutters a command to Noivern and they turn around, stopping in mid air and hovering.

"What was that for?!" Amber yells at him. Her answer isn't provided by him, though: instead, a dark red Hyper Beam with flecks of white light comes rocketing out of the smoke. Junior barely has time to flatten the two of them against her back and wring his arms around Noivern's neck before she rolls in mid air, momentarily folding her wings. They free fall several feet before she opens them once more. Amber looks up, heart beating like a jackhammer, to see dozens of men and women in Team Galactic uniforms, riding in giant, twin rotor helicopters. It's the equivalent of a small army.

The parties gaze at each other, until one of them throws a pokeball into the air. Out of it emerges a Crobat, who flies back to the chopper and allows his trainer to stand on his head. They must've done this often, because her balance seemed to come with ease, and Crobat didn't seem to tire in the slightest as he floated until he was closer than that of the helicopters, about thirty feet.

It wasn't Galactic Admin Mars, Amber was sure of that. This lady had pink dyed hair, with a tight suit that had a diamond shaped hole in the center, showing off a toned stomach and a small bit of cleavage. A yellow capital 'G' was tattooed on her stomach.

"Jupiter," Junior said in a not-so-friendly greeting. Noivern growled, and Sigilyph floated closely alongside her trainer, ready to defend him.

Jupiter smiled. "So you remember me," she said in a false, overly girlish sounding voice. "Saturn does too, you know. He really wants to see you. And I'm sure his bosses would just _love you to death,_ if you know what I mean."

Amber didn't think she could take much more of the Admin's stupidity, and she was about to interrupt when Junior gripped her arm hard. There was something against his palm, she thought she felt.

"You know what?" Jupiter says, her smile growing wider. "How about we just invite them on over, shall we?" She turns around and waves to one of the helicopters. Amber stared at the helicopter, seemingly mesmerized in terror. However, she yelped when she felt one of Junior's hands slip quickly to her neck, _under her shirt, and to her breast._ She elbowed him sharply in the ribs, but he withdrew just as quickly. However, although there was no bulge, due to her bra, she could feel the cold, metal, telltale shape of a shrunken pokeball sitting near her heart.

" _Keep him safe,"_ Junior's voice sounds in her head, but rather than looking at him, she glanced down at her chest. She felt as if the voice had come from there. " _They're after both of us, but hardly you, just me. If I go willingly, they might let you leave."_

Amber barely had time to register these words before two more pokeball flashes of light emanated from the helicopter. Two more pokemon appeared; a Honchkrow and an Espeon, who floated via its powers. Then two people stepped out of the chopper, one laying upon Honchkrow, the other simply walking on air as though it were solid concrete, though Amber noticed a pink flash whenever a footfall 'landed.'

The floating man Amber recognized immediately: Ghetsis, the former leader of Team Plasma. He wore a black and grey cloak, light, pale green hair to comment his pale face, and a red, scope-like device across one of his eyes. His right hand clutched a short staff with the Team Plasma logo implanted on it. The other, though, she was unsure of, but had a fair guess. He had shoulder length, thin blue hair that stuck straight up, suggesting a large amount of hair gel. He dressed in an almost armor like suit of silver material, with heavy combat boots, black cargo pants, and a regally styled collar. He had black gloves, one of which had a small, purple sphere woven into the material. His face was gaunt and thin, as if he didn't eat much, and his black eyes glittered with intelligence. On each of his shoulders, the Galactic 'G' glittered, as if made out of sparkling gemstones. Amber noticed that the Honchkrow he flew on seemed to have a necklace on. The gem was about the size of a large marble, crystal clear, with three stripes through the middle, colored black, red, and white.

"Ghetsis," She said, somehow keeping her voice steady. "And, I'm guessing Cyrus, leader of Team Galactic."

Ghetsis nods. "Very good, kid, I'll give you credit. Not many people recognize my friend Cyrus on sight. Those who do… Well, it's safe to say that they won't tell anyone," he finishes with a smile.

"Enough fooling around, Ghetsis," the thin faced leader of Team Galactic says coldly. "Kill them."

This seems to be an order, for dozens of pokeballs come streaming out of the helicopter, revealing an army of angry looking Golbat. They're about to charge when Junior yells; "WAIT!" Cyrus raises a brow slightly, but he holds up a hand, and the Golbat hesitate. "I'll go with you peacefully," Junior says, a slight tremor to his voice. "All I ask is that you allow my pokemon and Amber to leave unharmed. Surely you can do that much?"

Ghetsis glares in their direction, and Amber suppresses a shudder, as though a cold wind had snaked it's way up her neck. Just as quickly, however, it seemed to leave. No… more like forced out. _Sigilyph_ , she realized. The Psychic type was forcing Ghetsis out of their heads.

Cyrus seems surprised by his cooperation. He frowns for a moment, thinking. "...Fine. But if we don't receive Azelf's pokeball, I will personally torture you until you _beg_ for death."

Junior takes a shaky breath. "Fine," he says. He takes a moment to put his remaining pokeballs in Amber's hands. After that, he's lifted into the air by Espeon's psychic and pulled slowly toward the helicopter.

" _Leave,_ Amber heard him direct the thought at Noivern. " _Hide quickly, and_ _do not come back. Amber is your new trainer, unless I somehow make it out of this."_

Noivern has tears in her eyes, but she turns nonetheless and speeds off east, towards Celestic Town. She knows his plan.

Junior watches them go over his shoulder. Then he turns, locking eyes with the criminals. He seems to steel his nerves.

"Go to hell," he says. Then, faster before either of them could react, he pulls a knife from his sleeve, puts it against his neck, and rips upward.

His scream only lasts a second, before it's drowned out by the blood that falls from the open wound. The last thing he hears is Cyrus's disgusted sigh.

 **-A Few Minutes Later-**

By the time Noivern lands in a small clearing, Amber is sobbing uncontrollably. The Dragon pulls Amber off her neck, holding her in her large wings, and hobbles on her small, stubby legs quickly into the trees.

Amber's still crying so hard that it's several moments before she realizes they've stopped, and several more before she realizes someone's shaking her, saying her name and covering her mouth with their hand to keep her quiet.

"Amber! It's ok, I'm ok!" Junior says. Noivern sets her on the ground and Junior pulls her into a hug on the forest floor. Finally, a small part of her brain gains enough momentum to realize he's actually there. She stops crying.

"W-what?" she stutters. "B-but you died!"

"No, I didn't. Calm down," he says sternly. He hugs her again, rubbing her back in a brotherly way. Three bright flashes erupt from her pocket, and Fate, Nicky, and Athena appear next to her. Fate jumps into her lap, while Nicky and Athena hug her other side. Eventually she goes silent, gaining her breath and wiping her eyes.

"How?"

"I'm sorry I couldn't warn you," Junior starts. "It's a long, and rather disturbing story."

 **-Two Years Ago, Kanto Region, Midnight-**

"Looker?" A late-teenaged guy gazed around frantically. He had woken up a few minutes ago, trapped in a locked cell. He could only remember searching an abandoned mansion for clues to a gem heist, then a momentary pain in the back of his head, then darkness.

As if his word were a cue, a bright white light flared to life above him. It was extremely harsh, so much so that, even when he scrunched his eyes shut tight, it makes his eyelids completely white. He cried out, crouching on the ground as his head started throbbing horribly.

"Stop! Please!" Junior yells.

The light continued for a moment longer, then, to his surprise, shut off. He heard footsteps outside his door and tried to get a grip. Before the door was even all the way open, he threw a fierce punch through it. A man in an all black suit stumbled back, grunting. In a split second Junior was on him, wrestling his pistol from his belt. He quickly overpowered the man, snatching the weapon. Jumping back, Junior cocked the weapon and aimed it menacingly at the guy. He was no stranger to firearms, nor, he was slightly ashamed to admit, was he a stranger to killing. Johto was bad at many things, but you couldn't argue with their military. If you weren't steel, you either molded or folded. Really damn quick.

The man put his hands up automatically. "Our boss just wants to talk to you," he promised. "Just talk." It took a moment for Junior to realize something was off, though. The man wasn't looking at him.

He was looking _past_ him.

Junior span around and fired off a shot on instinct, nailing a guard that had been sneaking up behind him in the neck. Lucky shot. He quickly turned once again and shot the other guard. The teen tore off down the hallway, which seemed to be lined with jail cells. He flew down hallway after hallway: straight, left, left, right, straight, straight, left, right, right, until he lost count.

More guards had started appearing, bullets tearing into the metal walls right behind him. He thanked Arceus again and again, each and every time a bullet went _ping!_ off the wall behind him. His aim, on the other hand, was true: he had trained primarily with pistols, considering his line of work would involve much less on the side of heavy guns. The guards kept appearing, and he kept shooting them down, collecting a new gun every time he ran out of ammo.

After a few minutes of running, he emerged in a large room, about the size of an observatory. He crouched by a small staircase, trying to catch his breath. He froze up, however, when a voice yelled out above him: "Well, our boy is resourceful!"

He looked up above him to a bizarre scene: hanging from a rats nest of rusty chains, a throne dangled high above him. Upon the throne, a man lounged. He was dressed in an expensive suit, seeming to be made of fine silk encrusted with gems. Rubies, emeralds, and sapphires were inlaid in the fabrics.

He glared down at Junior. "Hello, boy! It looks like you're ready to start! Nice and scared? I'm sure you're nervous, too. Don't worry, I have a friend that could help with that."

He snapped his fingers, and a Kirlia teleported into the room. She floated over to Junior, as though in a trance. Junior felt his arms and legs move on their own, and he tried in vain to deny them. He realized he was caught in a psychic embrace. The Kirlia smiled at him, and Junior realized that she… she was _exposed._ Her slit and breasts were in full view, and by the looks of it, she was in heat.

Junior realized what was going on. "No," he said, forcing his voice to be steady. "Let me go."

To his surprise, the man sighed. "Oh, very well." He snapped his fingers, and the Kirlia floated over to a corner of the room. A black bubble seemed to surround her, and while it blocked her from view and muted any sounds, Junior didn't have a hard time guessing what was going on.

He looked up at the man. "Who the hell are you, you perverted bastard?" he didn't bother masking his anger.

The man laughed maniacally. "Oh, but you should know! I'm _Da Man_ , man. And you are my heir."

Junior took a moment to digest this. "You're fucking mental," he decided. "Let me go."

"So you can go tattle-tale on me to the cops? No, I don't think so," 'Da Man' responded. "Besides, don't you want to see what happens to your old buddy, old pal?"

He laughed insanely once again and snapped his fingers. This time, a cage seemed to appear out of thin air. The bars were spaced evenly apart, and the scene inside nearly gave Junior a heart attack.

Agent Looker was suspended above a roaring fire, whose telltale color identified it as a Thermite fire. Even from the distance Looker was at, about twenty feet above the flames, burns had formed on his legs. He was naked except for a singed pair of underwear. He gazed wearily around the room, seemingly dazed, but when he spotted Junior, his eyes narrowed in recognition.

"Junior! Whatever he does, don't tell him ANYTHING!" He yells.

"Oh, but he will!" Da Man retorts with glee. "Unless he wants to see his teacher's limbs burned off!"

Junior's eyes widened, and he resisted the urge to vomit. "N-never," he stammered.

Looker stared hard at him. "Don't lose yourself, boy," he advised. "Important information cannot be revealed, and you must go to all ends to make sure that you don't talk. _All_ ends."

This time, Junior couldn't keep himself together. He puked, splatting the pristine tiles.

"What're you playing at…?" Da Man said suspiciously. Instead of responding, Junior, tears in his eyes, gave the smallest of nods. He pulled out the gun, of which he knew from before he had run into the room that he had two shots left.

Da Man's eyes widened. "Stop him!" He screamed. Dozens of pokemon appeared out of nowhere from every direction, but Junior let out an agonizing yell, turned the pistol upon his teacher, and pulled the trigger.

Then he put it to his chin, closed his eyes, and pulled it once more…

And a nerf dart hit him surprisingly hard in the throat.

"Not bad, Junior." a voice sounds from behind him. Junior's eyes bulged, and he spun around. The new scene was nothing like the room he had just been in. It seemed to be a research lab; several computers were scattered about, and mounds of papers dominated most surfaces. A few feet in front of him stood Looker, flanked by two people in lab coats.

Junior, far from being relieved by Looker's presence, backed away in fear. "STAY BACK!" He screamed, pointing the nerf gun at Looker. "I'M WARNING YOU, YOU FUCKING MANIAC!" In his rushed backpedaling, he tripped over a bundle of cords and fell to the ground.

"Junior, calm down!" Looker said, sounding alarmed. "It was fake! IT NEVER HAPPENED!"

Junior hesitated at this, but stayed where he was. After a moment, though, a stream of pokemon scrambled out from behind the Agent. A Stoutland, Sigilyph, Noivern, and blue ringed Umbreon all jumped onto him simultaneously. Only when he physically felt their presence did he know they were real. He hugged Horus, hiding his tears for a moment, then stood. He glared at Looker, then threw the nerf pistol to the ground in disgust.

"Explain," he said, his voice reaching a venom even he himself never thought possible.

To his credit, Looker actually looked slightly nervous. "It was fake. All of it. I'm sorry."

"What was ' _it?_ '"

Looker gestured to the researchers on either side of him. "These two men are Professor Oak and Professor Kukui. Perhaps you've heard of them. Professor Oak has done extensive research on the vast amount of Pokemon in the world. Professor Kukui, on the other hand, has done an astounding amount of research on the moves of pokemon."

Looker walks over to Junior and picks up the nerf gun, which now had several cracks in it. He sighed. "I'm sorry, Junior. This was a test, see. The idea was to see if Psychic pokemon could use their powers to create illusions strong enough to confuse enemies. Your pokemon were in on the plan. Sigilyph hit you with a psychic attack, which put you to sleep. We moved you here, to the Pallet Town Pokemon Research Lab, and had Sigilyph create an illusion of the jail. We were recording everything you were doing, which was basically running in circles and shouting people only you and Sigilyph could see."

Junior shot a glare at Sigilyph, who seemed to droop in shame. "So, my pokemon were in on this, eh? And none warned me…" he trailed off silently.

"Don't blame them, Junior," Looker says. "It wasn't their fault: I personally asked them not to do anything to alert you. We wanted the test to be genuine. Keep in mind: This tactic is priceless. Imagine a terrorist is holding a hostage, deep in the holds of his base. All we would have to do is have a Psychic type get within range of him, and we could have him running in circles, slapping himself upside the head, or panicking in a fetal position. This opens up so many possibilities."

Junior thinks on this for a moment, then sighs. "You're right. I'm sorry."

Looker seems relieved. "Would you and Sigilyph like to practice this technique?"

"Sure," Junior responds. Then, without warning, he cocks his arm back and slaps Looker hard across the face. The two Professors back up a step in shock as Looker falls to the ground, grunting. "And _that,_ " Junior says angrily, "is for nearly making me piss myself, you fucking asshat. Never again."

Looker grins as Junior holds out his hand to help the older man to his feet. "Point taken."

"I really wanna slap you again. It felt really good."

"Maybe later. We've work to do."

 **-Forest, Third Person, 4:15 PM(One Day Before Present)-**

"So you see," Junior concluded. "It's essentially an advanced version of Psychic Illusions. Sigilyph and I practiced for a while at it, but we haven't had a good time to use it until now."

Amber nodded numbly. "So everything we saw back there…"

"Not everything," Junior disagreed. "See, I knew they were following us, and I had to make it look like I was actually there. I _was_ there at first, but after a while, Sigilyph replaced myself and herself with sort of holographic copies. She made mine execute a sort of pressure, which made it feel like I was solid. Meanwhile, Sigilyph and I turned invisible and went under the cover of the trees. We flew to this spot, and then Sigilyph teleported back, to make sure you were safe. Keep in mind, on the small chance they didn't do the exchange, Noivern could've out flown any of their helicopters and pokemon with ease."

He wrapped Amber in a hug. "You were never in any danger," he said. "And neither was I." Amber nods numbly. "Tell you what, let's camp here tonight. We're more than halfway there now, so we'll still beat Angel and Terry to Celestic. Sigilyph, make a telekinetic bubble please. We don't want them to find us."

 _ **Author's Note**_

 _ **The hallucination scene was inspired partially by**_ **Percy Jackson: The Battle of the Labyrinth** _**by Rick Riordan. Hats off to him. Keep in mind: Junior is not a Psychic, nor is he able to harness Aura. To be clear, Azelf used his powers to project Junior's thoughts to Amber.**_

 _ **Lastly, I don't want to sound like I'm begging, 'cas I'm not, but if I could get a couple of reviews besides those from dedicated fans, that would be great. (Those fans know who they are, and don't get me wrong: I really, really, REALLY appreciate it!) Even if it's just a couple words telling me what I did right or wrong, I could really use the feedback.**_

 _ **(PS: Poems of Fate Chapter 3 should be up soon, if it isn't already.)**_


	14. Chapter XIII: Family of All Shapes

**-Unova Region, Route One, Angel's POV, 2:49 PM-**

The loud rumbling died out as the propellers on either of the wings slowed to a standstill. The pilot takes off his headset and motions to us that it's safe to get off. Terry complies, pulling his bag along behind him as he walks the few steps to the door. He jumps out onto the wheels of the craft, bracing himself against the landing gear, and holds a hand up to me. I grasp it and hop to the ground, closely followed by Zeke, although he simply jumps clear. The three of us gaze wearily at the smoke clouds still billowing up in the sky. Terry takes a deep breath, and I take his hand in mine as he starts shaking. He nods gratefully at me as we start off towards the city.

Due to the sheer velocity and danger of the flames, the beginning of Route One had been converted into an emergency checkpoint, complete with a crude, hard packed runway. It was a sign of just how bad the fire had been that the pokemon whose homes had been destroyed to make way for the emergency vehicles and tents didn't complain and even helped tear down their own living spaces.

A man standing in front of his tent saw us and waved a hand, and we headed over to him. He was tall and thin, but powerfully built. He wore shorts and a tank top, and several patches of his exposed skin were raw and red. He tips his hat to us. "The name's Sean Herring, but you can call me Sean. I'm the chief fire fighter here."

Terry grasps his hand. "Terry Collins," he replies. "This is Zeke Walker of the White Coat Rangers, and my partner and girlfriend, Angel."

I blushed at that, although it was a pleasantly surprising revelation. _I guess we're not hiding it anymore._

Sean nods in greeting, shaking Zeke's and my hands in turn. "Good to see you three. And Terry… I'm sorry, kid. I pulled them out myself. They're gone."

Terry winces as though stabbed, but he just nods. "Th-thanks," he stutters slightly. He turns his gaze towards Nuvema Town. "It's still going?"

"Yeah. We made the call last night. It's too dangerous to send anyone in, what with all the unstable buildings still slowly burning away. We're letting it burn itself out."

 _Maybe we could help,_ I direct the thought to the chief, who doesn't reply at first. I note the fact that he wasn't startled by my telepathy.

"Possibly," he muses. "I've heard you two are powerful. Hmm… You know the river near here right? Can you move water into the town and put out the fires from a distance?"

Terry frowns for a moment, gazing off in the direction of the creek, which we can just barely see through the trees. He puts out a hand, concentrating, and suddenly a geyser of water, as wide as a redwood and twice as tall, erupts out of the river. It defies gravity as it snakes high over the trees, heading in the direction of the town. Terry follows it from below, panting heavily. I slide up next to him and put my right hand on the back of his neck. I feel an awkward pulling sensation at my fingertips as Terry draws energy from me as well. As we walk, Zeke and Sean follow behind us, joined soon by dozens of other stunned first responders.

The smoke starts about fifty feet from the entrance to the city. Terry and I stop just shy of that, our giant watery snake floating above us. Terry signals a bit frantically towards Sean, who quickly joins us. He grabs Terry by one of his shoulders to stop him from swaying. "Woah, kid, you alright?"

"Are there… any… survivors… still?" Terry asks between deep breaths. He's struggling to keep the weight of the water up, drawing more from my reserves every second.

"None," Sean said. "We searched every inch of the town with psychic types. They found nothing."

The moment the words are out of his mouth, Terry lets out a grunt and swings both his arms forward. The torrent of water races forward and, as it gets over the city, he spreads it out and makes it come down like a heavy rain, dousing everything and nearly flooding the town. Only when all the water is a safe distance from the emergency checkpoint he allows himself to fall to the ground. I stumble and fall as well, landing on top of him in a heap. I didn't realize how tired I was.

He wraps his arms weakly around me and buries his face in my neck as first responders surround us. The world blurs, Zeke's' shouting to the paramedics seeming to come from miles away. The last thing I hear is Terry's sobbing, his grief and exhaustion finally crushing him.

Darkness.

 **-Sinnoh Region, Route 211, Amber's POV, 3 PM-**

The sunlight that had been peeking occasionally through the trees grew as the leaves thinned out above us. I watched as Nicky glanced upwards, happy that his injuries finally seemed fully healed. He catches me staring and immediately closes a bit, his small smile vanishing. "What?" He asks, although with a reserved and not impolite tone.

"You look better," I responded truthfully. "I'm sure the Nurse Joy in Celestic Town will agree."

Nicky nods and looks away, crossing his bladed arms over his scarred heart casing. From next to me, Junior cocked an eyebrow. "Is he ok?" he asks. "He's been acting pretty upset for most of the morning, even if he does look better."

"I'm not sure," I admitted, bending down to brush my fingers against Horus's ears. Junior's partner arched his back slightly, enjoying the attention. I lowered my voice as I continued, "I think it has something to do with that stunt you pulled yesterday, and to be honest? I don't blame him."

Junior grimaces. "Like I said, I couldn't warn you… _or_ him, for that matter. I didn't know if you could guard your minds, be it with Telepathy or Aura."

I had half a mind to chew him out again (as I had done many times since last night) but I was interrupted by our arrival at the entrance gate. Inside a small box, a middle aged guard waved to us. Junior noticed the patch on the guy's shirt and respectfully saluted.

The man returned the salute from within his box, but when he returned to ease, he was cheerful enough: "Morning! Entry to Celestic City?"

"Yessir," Junior responded, shoving his passport through a small slot in the glass. He continued as the man put the ID in a scanner, "If you don't mind me asking, why all the security?"

"Important figures here these last few days, son," The older man answered. He glanced at the information on Junior's ID and added, "as if you didn't already know that. It's great to meet you, Officer Autumn. My name's David Ferrio. Call me David."

"Good to meet you, David," Junior replies, then claps a hand on my shoulder. "This is Amber, a friend of mine. I'm escorting her to see her mother, Drasna."

David whistles low, nodding respectfully in my direction. "Drasna's daughter, eh? You'll be a strong trainer, kid, I'd bet anything."

I blushed slightly at the comment, but smiled nonetheless. "Thanks, Mr. Ferrio. D'you think you could point us in the direction of the Pokemon Center? Nicky needs a checkup for those shoulder wounds."

David takes a quick look in the Gallade's direction, taking in the faint scars on his shoulders. "They look nicely healed to me, but better to have Joy look, indeed. Just continue straight down this main road, here, until you get to the crater, then take a right. Can't miss it."

"Thanks," Junior responds. David tips his hat once again as we walk off towards the town. The gravel popped under our feet as we neared the square. Celestic Town itself was fairly small, with a couple dozen buildings surrounding a steep crater-like decline, and the houses themselves located around the edges.

We paused at the edge of the crater and gazed down into it. Like the ground above (excluding the paths,) it was coated in grass, and in the center a small building was perched on stilts. It had a red roof, brown, shutter-like doors, and white trim. A shrine. Behind it, a small crack in the stone wall of the decline led into a cave, although I couldn't see what was in it from here.

Junior tapped me on the shoulder and pointed towards our right, where the telltale red roof shone against the bright sky. Nicky paled slightly, but he followed us there without complaint. The glass doors opened for us automatically, and I shivered slightly as we entered the cool room. I hadn't realized how hot it actually was, but it was freezing inside.

There were only a few people in the lobby, and to our surprise, that included a police officer, who was having a discussion with the wildly dressed guy next to him. Said officer glanced at us, a hint of recognition in his eyes as his gaze settled briefly on Horus and then Junior's face.

I recognized him from Junior's stories: a shabby, light brown trench coat, black cargo pants, and sturdy, gruff features. Agent Looker strode forward, stopped a few paces in front of us, and saluted. Junior returned the salute, but when they went to ease, they hugged each other like brothers.

"How're you doing, Junior?" Looker asked when they broke apart.

"I'm doing alright, thanks," Junior responded. He gestures to me. "This is Amber. She's a friend of mine that I'm escorting here to see her mother, Drasna."

Looker shakes my hand, his fingers rough and calloused, like sandpaper, but gentle all the same. "Good to meet you, Miss Thompson. Unfortunately, your mother is unavailable as of this moment. The only League member here is Fire Fist."

Junior shakes his head. "You never did well with the code names, Looker. We're in public, and he's right here. Subtlety works both ways."

"Damn."

The other guy takes this moment to stride up next to Looker. He looks to be in his early 20s, pale and lanky, with a big red afro. He's sporting a yellow shirt, black jeans with a pair of red chains, and red sneakers. He's got his hands buried in his pockets except for his thumbs, and he comes to a stop at a jaunty angle. His whole being screams 'laid back' so much that I can't see how he could be an officer, much less a special agent.

The guy must recognize my expression, because he chuckles and holds out his hand to shake mine. "How many times I've seen that expression," he muses jokingly. "The name's Flint, kid. I'm one of Sinnoh's Elite Four members. Second place, to be exact."

 _Oh. That would explain it._

"H-hi," I stammer. I blushed at that. _Why am I so nervous? Just 'cas he's an Elite Four member doesn't mean he's like a prince! Get a grip, Amber,_ I scolded myself. "It's good to meet you, Flint."

Flint nods in agreeance, then looks sideways at Agent Looker. "To be fair, Lucian is here, too but he's sleeping right now."

Concern flashed in Junior's eyes. "How's he doing?"

Flint grimaced. "He's recovering OK, but he's depressed. Cynthia, Bertha, Aaron, and I have been taking care of his pokemon while he's bedridden, but the lack of connection with them recently has been taking it's toll on all of them."

"He's a psychic specialist, right?" I ask.

Flint nods in confirmation. "Yeah. I won't pretend to be an expert on that, but I know how it feels to be separated from your friends for a long period of time. I imagine it's even harder on him."

Junior winces in sympathy. "I hope he'll recover soon. When are the other League members returning?"

"Nightfall. They're out training right now, going over battle strategies."

"Alright. I think I'm going to do some training of my own then," Junior responds. He glances at me. "You'll be alright for the day, I assume?"

"Yeah," I respond. "I'll probably hang out at the Center for the day."

Junior nods. "I think I'll take my leave then. Looker, Flint, tell the rest of them that dinner's on me tonight, ok?"

Flint grins. "I'll make sure he tells them."

With that, Junior takes his leave, the few other people in the Center watching as he and Horus exit, the doors closing behind them. Looker turns to me. "I've got business to attend to, as well. Since it looks like you can hold your own just fine, I'll leave you to it." He tips his hat and leaves as well. Flint grabs a pokeball and presses the button. Out of it comes a beautiful Flareon, who follows him to a corner of the room as her trainer grabs a brush from a small pack that he'd left on his seat.

 _That was quick,_ I thought to myself. I glance at Nicky, who looks a bit nervous. "C'mon, then, the sooner we start the sooner it's over."

With that, we walk up to the front desk. Nurse Joy smiles at me, and after I explain the situation, she leads us into a back room. Nicky obediently hops up on the examination table, fidgeting slightly. I decide to push it a bit.

"Why're you so nervous?" I ask him. "All she's doing is looking you over."

Nicky grimaces and stays silent. Nurse Joy busies herself at the back of the room, obviously letting the moment draw out. The silence lasts so long that I think he's simply not going to answer when he finally mumbles, "I hate needles…"

It's such a surprising announcement that I have to bite my tongue to keep myself from laughing. "Oh." I lock eyes with Nurse Joy. "You aren't using any needles today, are you?"

Nurse Joy smiles kindly. "None. At most, a couple of small pills. And you don't have to worry about anyone knowing this," she adds as Nicky blushes. "Other than your private documents, which other doctors will look through only with your permission, that information will not leave this room. I'm sworn into secrecy about anything like that. It's in my contract."

At this, Nicky looks so relieved I'm afraid he might fall to the floor. He shakes his head, then nods. Nurse Joy donned a pair of gloves and begins the examination.

 **-Twenty Minutes Later-**

I laugh as Nicky flops against a tree, obviously relieved that the examination was over. "The most notable sign was when she announced that you're healed up," I joke as I sit next to him. The shade is cool and comforting, and I gaze out over the small town, I pull out two other pokeballs from my pocket. Fate greeted me happily, taking in the breeze. A couple of wild pokemon called out to her, and she ran off to play with them.

Athena, on the other hand, timidly climbed into my lap. She had started to trust me lately, and she had since become very clingy, and she seemed to like her pokeball more than most. I had no problem with this, although it made me nervous that she was spending so much time alone.

 _All the more reason to learn to communicate well with my Aura,_ I think to myself.

My thoughts were interrupted by an explosion from near the center of the town. Nicky and I jumped to our feet, Athena quickly jumping up to my neck. She gripped the side of my head and stood on my shoulders as we raced off towards the noise. _Why is it always me…_

When we arrived at the source, however, it was a crowd loosely surrounding two trainers and their pokemon. Junior crouched down to pet Horus, who had just woken up. Flint patted his Flareon between her ears, the Fire Type yipping happily.

Junior returns Horus to his pokeball and looks up, locking eyes with me. "Oh, hey Amber. You just missed it. I got my ass whipped by Flint."

Everyone laughs at this. Even Nicky makes a small smile. Junior cocks an eyebrow. "Of course, I bet you could do better. Why don't you and Nicky take him on?"

I stop laughing at this and glance at Nicky, who looks similarly nervous. "Let's not and say we did," I respond.

Flint laughs, wrapping his arms casually behind his blood red afro. "Oh, come on, Amber! Live a little. C'mon, I'll go easy on you."

Nicky glares in his direction, and I could tell he'd hit a nerve. _Taunting Nicky into battle, not cool. On the other hand, I know he's strong. This could be just the kind of fight we need to really start to connect. There's a PokeCenter right down the street, after all, and I can always call the fight early…_

"Oh, what the hell," I decide. "Why not. "What do you say, Nicky? Shall we give it a shot?"

Nicky looks surprised but pleased with my answer as he walks forward, the crowd watching in anticipation. One person in particular seems to catch my eye, his Samurott staring as well. As we lock eyes, though, Flint grins and speaks, distracting me. In the split second that I look away, the boy and his pokemon vanish.

"Alright then," Flint says enthusiastically. "Here's your opponent." He throws a pokeball into the air, and it opens with a burst of fire.

"Ferr-nape!"

 _Oh boy…_

 **-Unova Region, Route 1, Angel's POV, 5 PM-**

When I wake, it's not where I drifted off. I vaguely remember the firefighting we did, but everything seems fuzzy. The pulse pounding behind my eyes doesn't help. I slowly open my eyes, and above me is a rough canvas flap. Sitting up, I realize I'm laying on a cot in one of the tents on Route One, covered in a couple of thin sheets. Laying on the cot next to me is Terry. He's on his side, but he's awake, staring dutifully at a distant corner of the tent.

At that point I realize I'm completely exposed and rip my blanket up to my chest. Terry chuckles. "Apparently the water we dumped on the town flowed out into route one and drenched us after we fainted. Zeke visited a few minutes before you awoke, said that a couple of doctors came in and dried us out, gave us new clothes." Sure enough, he's dressed in a simple white tee shirt and black sweatpants. "I feel fucking exposed," he added in a muttered whisper.

I stay silent as I carefully adjust the folds of my dress-like skin, covering my chest. I suppose I'm thankful to be dry, but to be honest, the warm air in the tent would've done that just as well.

 _Whatever happened, at least we're ok. I'm still exhausted, though. How long were we out?_

"It's about 5 PM now," Terry responds. He gets up, seemingly to exit the tent, but as he's stepping towards the door, he stops. He looks confused for a moment, before sitting down next to me. Carefully, he buries his face under my chin. I only hesitated a moment before putting my bluish hands around his shoulders. We stay embraced like that for almost a minute before he slowly pulls away.

"I'm sorry," he whispers. "I just-" I shut up him with a kiss. It only lasts a moment.

 _It's ok,_ I direct the thought at him.

"R-right," he stammers. He gets up and I follow. When we exit the tent, I have to squint against the bright rays of evening sunlight. A little ways away, Zeke is leaning against a tree, conversing animatedly with a couple of other men. Tana stands stiffly by his side, looking nervous. As I watch, one of the guys puts a tender hand on his unusually tall Sneasel partner, almost feeling her up. Terry watches silently, unsure.

The other slaps the first across the back of his head and he stops, but the force turned him towards us. He smiles and says something to Zeke, who turns. Then he waves his hand and strides over, the other two trailing in his wake.

"Hey, Terry," Zeke says warmly, one hand resting idly on his hip. The sun reflects off his red and black sword in a harshly beautiful way. "Glad you're up. I've got a couple of people I'd like you to meet." Terry eyes Zeke for a moment, then curtly nods.

The Sneasle's trainer waves a hand. "The name's Jenson. It's good to meet you, kid." He's dressed in a black leather jacket with white trim, black jeans and tennis shoes. His mop of unruly black hair rivals even Terry's as he grins slyly.

The other trainer couldn't be more different as he formally walks up and shakes Terry's hand. "My name is Dustin. A pleasure." His clothes seem to mirror the first: a white button shirt, white jeans and grey shoes, with a shock of snowy, bushy hair and wary yellow eyes.

"It's good to meet you both," Terry replies.

"They're my brothers," Zeke says.

Terry stares at him.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Before Zeke can react, Terry turns away, looking out towards the direction of the destroyed Nuvema. As he does, the firefighter, Sean, walks up to us. He whispers something in Terry's ear.

Terry looks as though he'd rather die than reply, but after a moment he silently nods. Sean turns away and sets off back the way he had come. Without a word, Terry sets off resolutely behind him.

Zeke glances at me. "What was that about?"

 _I'm not entirely sure,_ I telepathically respond. _Let's go._

I rise into the air and float off after them, Zeke and his brothers trailing behind. Sean leads Terry into a grove of trees, in the opposite direction of Nuvema. They walk silently, and none of us seem eager to break the somber silence that seemed to tighten around us.

A few minutes of travel later, a clearing comes into view ahead of us. It's about twenty feet in diameter. In the center of the grassy field, a large stone dais sits. It's beautiful, the stone carved masterfully with elegant shapes and figures. I look closer and realize that several looping, cursive lines are cut into the stone:

 _Vita amoris,_

 _Condiderunt in aeternum._

 _A odium,_

 _Erit in oblivione._

 _Tribuas misericordiam tuam_

 _Non est mortuorum,_

 _Sed vivus,_

 _et super omnia,_

 _Iis qui sine amore vivere nequit._

Upon the dais lay two wooden coffins.

Terry stands rooted to the spot on the edge of the clearing, breathing deeply. Taking a moment to concentrate, I gently probe his mind. Just as quickly, however, I pull out as a tsunami of grief smashes down on me. Terry turns a shocked and apologetic look towards me, but I shake my head and smile sadly at him. Taking a step forward, I take his hand in mine.

 _Together,_ I let the thought flow through him.

He nods, and together we walk forward, the points of my feet tickled slightly by the grasses. The place we're in has been left completely unscathed by the destructive flames, like a safe house in a sea of destruction. It's completely silent.

We stop in front of the coffins. A small plaque wreathed in gold leaf is attached to each one. The one on the left reads "Michelle Collins." The one on the right; "Jeremy Collins."

Terry extends a shaking hand and rubs his fingers over the name of his step-father. "I'm sorry," he whispers. "So, so sorry. I never really thanked you… For everything."

He turns to his mother's coffin. "I'll never know what really happened… But I want you to know that I refuse to give in. I know you wouldn't. I'll defeat him. I promise."

He turns away, shaking. Without warning, he pulls me towards him and pushes his lips against mine. I don't hesitate to push back. It only lasts a moment, but it's passionate.

He pulls away and gives me a watery smile. Together we walk back to the group. Terry pulls a small pad of papers out of his back pocket and hands them to Sean. "I want those to be buried with my father," he says. "On his chest, held by his hands."

As they pass to Sean's rough hands, the light catches them. Adoption papers.

Sean takes a long look at Terry, then nods, gingerly folding the papers back up and putting them in his pack. "Of course. I'll make sure it happens."

"Thank you," Terry responds.

As we're turning back, a voice calls out, "Crying about your mommy, are you?"

The voice seems to come from nowhere, and we spin around wildly looking for it. A sudden flash of light interrupts the search. Two humanoid silhouettes appear out of nowhere, having teleported in. The man is a few years older than Terry, dressed in light grey jeans, green tennis shoes, a white collared shirt, with a white and black baseball cap covering a mound of light green hair. Around his neck, a Keystone is wrapped in gold and crystal leaf, and hanging from a chain on one of his belt loops is a golden cube-like object. The pokemon next to him radiates power. Her body seems to be separated into different parts. Four white bows sit on her front, one for each black fold of her dress-like skin. Her face and hands are pink, and her hair is black, four fan-like appendages hanging on each side of her head, over her ears. A Mega Stone is clipped to the bow atop her head.

"Who the hell are you?" Terry says angrily. Each word is accompanied by a small telekinetic quake, and our friends retreat a couple steps. I hover.

The guy grins. "I'm surprised _he_ didn't tell you. Ahh, well," he sighs sarcastically. "I came here to warn you, nice guy as I am."

"About what?" Terry responds. "Spit it out, you asshat!"

"Now, now, that's not very nice! Oh, very well." He grins evilly. "I came to tell you to give up on your little mission for Mew. After all, Lord Ghetsis and Lord Cyrus are finished coordinating. You're finished."

"What're you saying?" Terry asks, his anger mixed with a hint of uncertainty.

"I'm _saying_ that, come tomorrow, everything you know will change. The world as you know it will be destroyed." He holds his arm out to his pokemon, who takes it. Then he glances maniacally at us. "Ghetsis didn't feel it was important, but I thought you should know: Your mother never loved him. He forced her into it, just like you thought. His _real_ love currently resides back at HQ. With that in mind… Goodbye, my half-brother!"

Before anyone can react, the pair disappeared with a flash and an echoing cry of "Gothitelle!"

Several seconds pass, although it seems like years, before Zeke turns to Terry.

"Brother?" He says weakly.

 _ **(Author's Note)**_

 _ **I'm alive! No, seriously! I'm not dead!**_

 _ **I apologize for what is easily the longest wait for a chapter yet. I have absolutely no excuse, and I refuse to let it happen again. With winter break coming up too, I'll have more free time to work.**_

 _ **The translation for the poem can be found on my profile.**_

 _ **Once again, apologies for taking so long. Good luck, happy reading and writing!**_

 _ **-Orthros**_


	15. Chapter XIV: Control

**-Unknown Location, Unknown POV, Unknown Time-**

"News?"

"They arrived last night, Sir. The devices worked just as they were designed."

"Excellent. Let's move forward, then."

 **-Sinnoh Region, Celestic Town, Amber's POV, 8:15 AM-**

I watch, bleary-eyed, as the small jet comes in for a landing. I grip the rail of the staircase I stand on as it's aerodynamically sleek body races down the runway, although it quickly slows. Once it's no longer screaming along, I jump the few steps to the ground and wait as it turns and taxies back towards me.

Junior watches from over my shoulder as it comes to a halt about thirty feet away, the coarse dirt of the runway crunching between its wheels. He's leaning against the wooden wall of the small sherrif's building, the radio tower and runway conveniently built nearby to make for a small yet effective airport that apparently wasn't here the last time Junior visited. Perfect for a quaint place like Celestic.

An attendant pushes a small staircase on wheels over to the plane's rounded door, which opens. Terry steps out, looking immediately in our direction. His face is an unreadable mask, and after he nods respectfully to us, he turns around. He says a couple words, then raises his hand. A flash of red light erupts from the pokeball in his hand, vanishing a moment later. He trots down the steps, saying a couple words to the attendant in passing, and makes his way towards us.

Junior grips my shoulder. Terry looks exhausted, his green eyes missing that spark of energy I've seen countless times before, and they're rimmed in red. He stops in front of Junior, and without warning his eyes takes on a light blue glow. He stares intently at Junior, and as I watch, the older man's eyes brighten, too.

They stand there silently for so long that it's almost a shock when Junior gasps and takes a sudden step backwards, nearly losing his balance. Terry just nods, fresh tears jumping into his eyes. He manages a weak, watery smile at me, then heads off around the side of the building, in the direction of the pokemon center.

I watch confusedly until he disappears around the corner, then spin around to look at Junior. "What the hell was that?"

Junior doesn't respond immediately. He, too, stares after the younger teen, before shaking his head and turning to me.

"That, Amber, was a hell of a story."

 **-Celestic Town, Pokemon Center, Amber's POV, 9 AM-**

I gaze around nervously, at the same time adjusting my hold on the oddly colored Riolu in my arms. The lobby of the pokemon center looked extremely foreboding in it's current state, with its windows shuttered and guards posted at the entrance, not to mention the hallways, where any trainers not important enough to be in the upcoming meeting were being corralled. Chairs had been scattered around the room, but I stood anyway, impatiently waiting. A sudden increase in volume from the hallway indicated visitors, and sure enough, the guards, assault rifles at rest on their chests, moved aside.

Junior entered first, flanked closely by Agent Looker and Flint. All three look tired, though they returned the respectful salute from the police and special forces agents in the room with disciplined expertise. All three have loaded pistol holsters on their belts.

Following them is a younger man, maybe a year older than Terry at most. He's dressed in orange cargo pants and a well designed black and orange tank top, with a shock of green hair and matching, sea-green eyes. Over his heart, a small pin resides: a dull green, antennae-like rod, perhaps two inches across. I notice Flint has a pin, too, though his is in the shape of a red flame with blue trim. I stand a bit straighter in recognition of bug type master Aaron.

Following Aaron is an older woman. She's dressed in a simple white coat, with a black skirt, shoes, and a large bun of grey hair. A brown scarf is wrapped around her neck, and pinned upon it is a small, polished, boulder shaped icon: Bertha.

Behind her, Terry appears. He's talking quietly to the man that walks next to him. Or more accurately, half walks, half stumbles. He's dressed in an expensive, wine-red suit, with grey shoes, light purple glasses and wavy hair of the same, dyed color, though a few shades darker. One of his white gloved hands is laid across Terry's shoulder for support, although he looks annoyed with it and tries to straighten. He ends up nearly falling over and finally accept's Terry's help to the nearest chair. Pinned to his chest pocket is a light pink badge with wave designs. Lucian.

Lastly, three woman enter. I recognize my mother, Drasna, walking quietly behind her superior, Diantha. Next to Diantha is a woman dressed in a long black dress, black pants and shoes. Her skin is nearly as flawless as Diantha's, and her long, light blonde hair stretches far down her back. She looked cool and collected, and when Diantha finishes speaking, she holds one arm up to her chest, bowing slightly. Diantha and Drasna return the gesture.

Once they finish speaking, I walk forward. Drasna notices me and rushes over. "Amber!" She says in an excited, not to mention relieved, whisper. Before I can respond she crushes me in a hug, and I squirm and struggle to keep Athena from getting smashed.

After a moment she lets go, an apologetic look forming on her face. She sat down in a nearby chair and pointed to the one next to her. I sat down, too. What followed was about five minutes of the classic I-Was-So-Worried-The-Things-I-Heard-I-Had-No-Idea-If-You-Were-OK-Don't-Ever-Do-That-Again mother's rant. I just agreed and nodded along.

When she finally finished, she smiled warmly down at Athena, who sat nervously in my lap. "So this is the Riolu you found?" Very slowly, she held out her hand. I watched nervously as Athena shrunk away. After a moment, mom drew back, though she looked neither surprised nor upset. "Shy, isn't she? You're taking good care of her and that Gallade, then? And Fate?"

"Of course, mom," I reply. After a moment, I added, "And I can do this now, too." I took a deep breath, then held out one of my hands, the other keeping a firm yet comforting grip on the Riolu in my lap. Concentrating, I bring my Aura to my fingertips. It glows across my hand, the energy rising out of my palm and forming a small, electric blue sphere. It was about the size of a grapefruit, a sign that my fumbling in the art was still somewhat worth it.

Mother's jaw dropped as she stared at the orb. "That's…"

"An Aura Sphere, mom. I can manipulate Aura," I explain.

"I know what it is, dear," Mother said softly, a tear running down her cheek. "I never knew… Oh, what your father wouldn't have given to see you right now… He would've been so proud…"

"He was an Aura Guardian, then?" I ask, a lump suddenly forming in my throat. The sphere warps wildly, and I hurriedly relax, letting the energy dissipate. "Sorry," I mumble. "It's a work in progress."

"Nonsense," Mom says immediately. "That was incredible, Amber. And yes, your father was an Aura Guardian. William was an amazing man. He joined the Ranger Union and quickly became one of their top Rangers. The ironic part was that he almost never used his styler outside of it's comms and radar functions. He never Captured a pokemon, so to speak. Instead, he would communicate to them with his Aura. He had no trouble dealing with even the strongest of pokemon, and he was always called in on the worst cases. Never once did he have any trouble. Not until… Well…"

"I understand." _Arceus forbid I ever have to step foot in Chargestone Cave._

Before the silence can get any more somber, the lady in the black dress clears her throat. All conversations in the room cease instantly.

"Hello," she begins, her voice portraying her cool and collected attitude. "I'm sure that you all know who I am, but for the sake of formalities, my name is Cynthia. I'm the current Sinnoh Champion.

"We're here today to discuss the threats not only in Sinnoh, but in the regions of Hoenn, Kanto, Unova, and Kalos, too. Joining us via satellite are the Champions of Kanto, Unova, and Hoenn: Blue Oak, Alder Confianza, and Steven Stone, respectively. Gentlemen."

The HD screen behind the counter comes to life, split into three columns. On the far left, A pale, lanky guy, maybe eighteen, nods respectfully. His light red hair and casual clothing make him out like Flint: he doesn't seem to fit his role. And yet, even through a screen, he seems to radiate power and confidence.

"Hello, Alder," Terry says towards the middle screen, his voice hollow. The older master smiles sadly in return, but says nothing. On the far right, A man in his early thirties sits with his eyes closed, his chin resting on top of his pale, white hand, deep in thought. Resting in the palm of his hand is a Mega Stone attached to a small pin.

"Miss Cynthia," he says quietly after a moment, opening his eyes and gazing towards the camera.

"As you all know," Cynthia continues, "Team Galactic is mobilizing in Sinnoh. They have allied themselves with the remains of Team Plasma, and rumor has it they aren't alone. Steven?"

"Team Aqua and Team Magma have declared peace," Steven responded formally. "They've proved they have nothing to do with it. I personally trust the word of Archie and Maxie, and I'm sure they've learned their lessons. On the other hand, the Society of the Shattered Moon is getting extremely bold. They have all but officially declared an alliance with Team Galactic, and are as merciless as ever. It's all my Elites and I can do to keep them at bay."

"Team Flare has been unusually under the radar these last few weeks," Alder says when Cynthia calls for him. "I don't know what they're up to, and I doubt I'll like it when I find out."

"Team Rocket is in on it," Blue says when Alder finishes. "What I don't know is whether Giovanni is leading it. The bastard has been off the radar for years. Chances are his old lieutenant, Surge, has taken the throne."

"I thought Lt. Surge was a gym leader," Cynthia said.

"Keyword _was_ ," Blue responded, sounding angry at the thought. "The bastard lost a ton of matches and ended up quitting. Two weeks after he quits, Team Rocket resurfaces and is being run like a professional military. I'll give you three guesses."

"Alright," Cynthia cuts him off. Blue quiets down, beckoning for her to continue. "Continuing on, I believe we have a potential threat approaching us. Terry?"

Looking nervous at being addressed directly by the Champion, the psychic nonetheless speaks up. "I went down to Unova to visit my parents' graves." He falters for a moment, then continues. "As my friends and I were leaving, this happened."

The image of the three Champions on the screen turns to a small, white room, completely bare. Terry stands in a corner, arms held out in front of him, eyes closed. His palms take on a harsh glow, and the room seems to transform, the white walls replaced with a darkening forest. It's disorienting for a moment, befor I realize it's actually a first person perspective. We watch as the memory plays through: the man and his Gothitelle rudely interrupting, the dire warning, and the shocking announcement at the end.

When it ends, Cynthia turns to Terry as the Champion's faces are replaced on the screen. "Did you know about this?"

"Not before last night," he responds tiredly. "Believe me, I was disgusted too. My whole family is fucked," he adds in a mutter, rubbing his face in his hands.

Cynthia grimaces. "Sorry, Terry," she says gently. "Anyway, it's not important. What's important is that warning. Something is supposed to take place _today_ , and we have no clue what or where."

Before anyone can respond to that grim announcement, a burst of static rips through the screen. It continues for several seconds, before it suddenly levels out.

On the image, a man sits, reclining against a throne-like chair. I recognize him immediately and struggle not to cry out: Cyrus. His armor creaks as he moves one arm above his head, carefully smoothing a wrinkle out of the flag that is stretched above him. The wall behind him is blank, save the flag.

Greetings, people of Sinnoh," he says, his voice hard as ice. "My name is Cyrus. I am the leader of Team Galactic. I have an announcement." The image changes.

"Arceus almighty!" Flint yells.

"NO!" Junior screams.

The scene revealed is that of a dungeon like cell: black stone, a drain on the floor. Various tools are scattered over the ground, all baked in a red liquid.

Blood.

Chained to the wall by their wrists, two teens that I had meet not three weeks ago hung helplessly, shrinking back against the brick even though no visible threat was present. Barry's blond hair was caked in grime, his cheeks, arms, and legs cut in multiple places, the skin looking as though it would fall off his starved frame. Dawn was stripped naked, her chest and arms bloodied and her nether region showing signs of brutal rape.

"For those of you who do not know," Cyrus's voice continues, "these two are named Barry and Dawn. They are doing me a favor by providing a good example of what happens to those who interfere with the plans of Team Galactic and it's allies.

"These two attacked two Galactic camps at Lake Verity and Lake Acuity. In doing so, the legendary pokemon Mesprit and Uxie came under their care and protection. However," Cyrus adds, his smile audible through his voice, "you can see where that landed them.

"Unfortunately, the last Lake Guardian has managed to evade us so far. You see, a third person interfered with our plans at Lake Valor. The Lake Guardian Azelf is under his care. Now, we could make due with two, but it would be so much easier… and so much less messy… if we had all three. That being said, I now call out to Jimmy Boreas Jr."

An image appears on the screen: Junior flying pell-mell away from the camera, Azelf's pokeball held tightly in one hand, the other gripped tightly to his Noivern. He's been captured mid-shout, his head turned back to direct a command at Sigilyph. Immediately, all the Elites and Champions turn to look at Junior.

"Jimmy Jr, whose friends call him 'Junior,' is currently in possession of and protecting Azelf, the last Lake Guardian. Now, we can't have this, can we? So we must come to an agreement. I therefore offer the following: Hand over Azelf, and Barry and Dawn will be released immediately. If you don't…" Cyrus trails off, then smiles maniacally. "Well, I'll let you figure that out on your own. That is all. Good day, Sinnoh."

The TV turns to static.

 **-Celestic Town Outskirts, Amber's POV, 9:55 AM-**

Even as I brought up a hand to shield my eyes from the overly bright sun, my head pounded. Not that I was injured, at least, not yet. It was the stupidly large amount of planning that had taken place in the forty-ish minutes that had passed since Cyrus' announcement that I preferred to blame.

 _But it was a necessity,_ I think to myself as I jog down the road, flanked by Terry and Nicky. The three of us were to get to cover as the helicopter above us came into view. Indeed, it took a mere twenty minutes to come up with a plan, hijack the TV towers, and announce an exchange to Team Galactic's manic leader, and only a few more for them to appear.

As the heli, whose sleek black paint helped boldly announce the giant yellow 'G' on the door, comes in for a landing, I return Nicky to his pokeball and follow Terry to the back of a small squad. The clearing on the outskirts of Celestic Town, on the border of Route 210, was swamped with soldiers. Some had menacing looking rifles held against their chests, while others had a full roster of pokeballs lining their belts or sashes. League members were scattered about, too, powerful pokemon spread out through the crowd, ready to attack the chopper or defend the less powerful humans they towered over.

Terry pulled me behind a tree, Angel's pokeball disappearing under his shirt to hang against his chest. He put his finger to his lips, then vanished in a muffled pulse of purple light. I watched from a distance as he reappears on the back of Bertha's Golem, the Megaton Pokemon giving no notice that he was even there. He stood tall over the crowd as the chopper touched down, it's blades starting to slow.

And then everything went to hell.

Directly under Golem, the ground erupted. As though he weighed nothing, Golem was flung high into the air. Terry's panicked yelp was cut off as Cynthia's Garchomp launched upwards and caught him, leaving Golem to crash heavily in the trees nearby.

From the smoking hole, a giant pokemon had appeared, one I had only heard stories of. It's inhuman cry echoed even as the eight red dots upon its face glowed a sinister blood red.

Cynthia didn't hesitate. "Lucario, Aura Sphere!"

I watched from my place among the trees as her Aura Pokemon did as she asked, sending a large blue and white sphere rocketing towards the massive enemy. When it impacted against the metal-like skin of the pokemon, though, it merely stumbled a half step, the armor showing no signs of damage.

"It's Registeel! Retreat!" A voice, Looker's this time, cried out. Even as he shouted, two more explosions rattled the earth as the other two titans appeared. Regice floated above the fray, while Regirock raised a wall of solid stone, cutting off any escape to Celestic.

My heart raced as I stumbled back from my spot in the woods, although oddly enough, it was the faces of the Titans that I focused on. I had seen paintings of them before, and I was sure that they had only seven dots on their faces. The ones that terrorized my friends had eight.

A sudden white flash burst from my pocket and Nicky appeared next to me. He grabbed my hand in his bladed one and tugged hard, before dashing off into the woods. I yelped and dashed after him, barely keeping my feet under me as we fled. No one followed us.

Explosions shook the ground as he drug me through the woods, cries of terror and pain echoing behind us. Emotions surged through me; panic, anger, sadness, but none more so than confusion as I caught sight of the tear-stained face of my partner.

 **-Several Minutes Later-**

"WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!" I yelled as soon as I had caught my breath.

Nicky hadn't stopped running until the chaotic sounds of destruction had faded well into the distance. He would've kept going, but my falling to the ground and curling into a ball around the stitch in my side had given him other ideas. Now he stared wide-eyed at me, sat against a tree while I towered over him.

"WELL?" I asked when he stayed silent. Without waiting for an answer, I continued; "WHY DID YOU TAKE ME AWAY? TERRY WAS BACK THERE! AND JUNIOR! AND THE LEAGUE MEMBERS! MY MOTHER! THEY COULD ALL BE DEAD AND WE WOULDN'T-"

" _I COULDN'T RISK LOSING YOU!"_ Nicky's voice erupts as he shoots to his feet. " _DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND? THEY HAD CONTROL OF THE TITANS! WE HAD NO CHANCE!"_

I watch in shock as he drops to the ground, shuddering as the fight goes out of him. " _Alex died because I couldn't protect him,"_ he whispered between sudden sobs. " _Everyone may blame everyone else but me, but I know the truth. I can't lose you, too."_

 **-Route 210, Angel's POV, 12:19 PM-**

I winced in sympathy as Terry moaned in pain, squirming slightly. We were far off the beaten path, hidden by a clump of bushes. I leaned against a stump, holding my trainer's head in my lap. His head was soaked in blood from the shrapnel he had been hit by, but his breathing had started to even out as I pushed my hands against the wound.

One hand glowing a brilliant white, I allowed my other to stroke his forehead as my healing energy flowed through him. Slowly but surely, the gash closed, along with the multiple smaller ones across his arms and chest. As I finished, his eyes fluttered.

"Angel…" he whispered.

 _Hi, Terry,_ I whispered softly in his mind. A small trace of a smile formed on his lips, although it vanished quickly. I shifted as he put his arms beneath him and rose into a sitting position. A sudden wave of emotions rolled through me as my trainer reconnected our minds. I smiled warmly at him. Injured beyond belief, and yet still looking out for me.

" _What happened after I got hit?"_ he asked. I grimaced. I showed him my memories, starting from when Regice had attacked Garchomp. I remembered the Ice Beam impacting solidly against the Mach Pokemon's chest, causing him to roar in pain. He fell from the sky even as I forced myself from the confines of my pokeball, and it was only luck that allowed me to catch them before they hit the ground. Unfortunately, the helicopter took that moment to explode. Having been rigged as a dummy craft, it was remotely controlled, set to explode when needed. The shrapnel had ripped through the crowd, caught mostly by the loyal pokemon, whose bodies wrapped protectively around their human partners to take the blows. Nonetheless, Terry had been shredded. The fight continued as Looker and Flint pulled him away.

It was clear that Junior was the target of the Regis. While Registeel had been terrorizing the League members, Regice and Regirock had quickly located and trapped Junior. His pokemon fought valiantly but were quickly thrown aside. Out of nowhere, a familiar Gothitelle had teleported in, knocked Junior unconscious with a single blow to the head, then frisked through his pockets. After only a moment it had found Azelf's pokeball and teleported away.

And then a pair of shouts had issued over the crowd.

"Gardevoir, Mega Evolve!"

"Garchomp, Mega Evolve!"

I had watched in awe as the energy created by the bond between those trainers and their pokemon explode in a rainbow of colors. Diantha's Gardevoir especially caught my attention, and a small part of me giddily wondered if that's how I would look once Terry and I had achieved that dream.

The League members and soldiers rallied behind the fearsome power of the Mega evolved pokemon, but even with all that strength, it was only just enough to hold the Regis back. Looker had called to me, telling me to get Terry away before he could be harmed further. He'd assured me they could handle themselves long enough to escape. I'd followed his orders.

Which lead Terry and I here, where I had been slowly healing his head from the savage cuts he had experienced. It had taken far longer than I would've preferred, but I had no choice; the mind was a delicate thing. It was not to be taken lightly.

When I finished, Terry was silent. He stared at his hands, lost in thought, and I made no sound to interrupt him. Instead I shifted just slightly and leaned against his chest, trying not to succumb to my exhaustion.

Terry sighed, lifting a hand to softly rub through my hair. "I think we're close, Angel."

 _Close to what?_

"...The end."


	16. Chapter XV: The Caverns

**-Route 210, Terry's POV, 11:15 PM-**

" _Breaking news coming in from Sinnoh's Mount. Coronet, where a ring of dark, lightning infested purple clouds has sprung up and quickly spread out. Alyssa has more, live from our small aircraft cam."_

" _Well, Bob, it seems as though this ring of clouds originated from the peak of Mount. Coronet. Rumors are running rampant about a legion of Team Plasma troops trekking into the range some few hours ago, but nothing has been confirmed. Others still have said that these clouds are surely linked to the attack on the League members earlier today in Celestic City. Regardless, as you can see from our cameras, we can't get any closer. We've already all but been shot out of the air by a bolt of lightning, and had our incredible pilot not seen the danger as soon as he did, we wouldn't be talking to you right now."_

I winced at the stupidity of the statement but didn't take my eyes off the scene in front of me. And yet, my gaze wasn't tuned into the TV. No, they were instead trained out the window of the small house I resided in, towards the ominous peak in the distance. Even from here, the massive haze they described was visible. Lightning pulsed through it with a fury, as if determined to destroy anything that dared get in its way.

"One heck of a day you've had, eh?" An old, slightly wheezy voice says from behind me. I turn towards it, where a weather ravaged man sits on a stool. He looks like a farmer, although what a farmer would be doing here of all places, I have no clue. He's got a damp cloth in one of his large hands and dabs gently at Angel's forehead. She's laying on the couch next to him, the same position she's been in since we arrived here.

I just nodded my head tiredly. I was exhausted, although I knew Angel was much more so. I had deemed the man trustworthy shortly after his Houndour had appeared out of a clump of leaves, with the man on its heels. I still hadn't been fully healed at the time, so he had invited us back to his cabin to rest. Angel had collapsed onto the couch shortly after our arrival and had been sleeping fitfully ever since. Something seemed off about her.

"So tell me," the man continues, "what were you doing before I found you, to get them cuts of yours?"

"Getting my ass handed to me," I muttered in response.

Just the thought of how easily I had been defeated made my fists clench, and I had to consciously prevent my telekinesis from surfacing. I had all the time in the world to sense those pokemon that had been resting below the surface. The Titan Trio, of all things! A presence that powerful should have been easier to sense than anything, maybe even Angel herself, despite our bond. And yet, I had blindly gone along with the plan, thinking that Team Plasma would just play along and do our fake exchange. _Stupid!_

I take a deep breath, then cross the room to stand by Angel's side. Gently, I tap the orange spike on her chest.

"C'mon, Angel. It's time to go," I say softly.

Almost immediately, she snaps awake. Sitting up, she rubs her eyes, glancing first at me and then at the man beside me. I feel a gentle probe at my thoughts, but it quickly retreats. She nods silently.

"Thanks, Sir," I say, turning to the farmer and holding my hand out. "It means a lot."

"O-of course," the man says, seeming startled. He stands up and grasps my arm. "If you don't mind me asking, where'll you be going? It's the middle of the night, and that storm cloud doesn't look like good news, not a bit."

I just sighed. Carefully pulling my necklace out from under my shirt, I tap the button on Angel's pokeball and return her. She doesn't need to be out at present, and the more rest she gets, the better. I turned to the door, but as I lay my hand on the knob, I glance back.

"You recognize me, don't you?"

He nods nervously.

"Then you know exactly where I'm headed."

 **-Celestic Town, Amber's POV, 10:30 PM-**

The small crowd that had gathered just inside the gates of Celestic City was restless. I watched nervously, like them, glancing repeatedly up towards Mount. Coronet. The gathering storm clouds had only just appeared, but their origin was obvious enough. The rumors of a small Team Galactic army heading up the mountain only solidified the theory.

I forced my gaze to look through the crowd. Everyone looked nervous, the slowly increasing wind starting to rip slightly against their clothes. Eventually, my gaze settled on a pokemon. He sat in a low branch of a tree, one leg dangling over the thick branch he sat on. Cynthia's Lucario seemed content, but I knew he was meditating. The work I had done with Nicky had drastically increased my sense of Aura, although I still had a long way to go.

As though he could sense my turmoil of emotions, Lucario looked up and in my direction, holding my gaze for a few moments. I smiled weakly at him and turned away.

At that, my thoughts traveled back to earlier today, when Nicky had cried. After all the time I'd spent with him, and I never knew how badly he'd felt. It had taken the better part of several hours before he was willing to leave the place we'd stopped at and make our way back to Celestic.

Before my thoughts could dwandle anymore, Cynthia's voice broke sharply through the crowd.

"Alright, listen up," the lady said as she arrived at the front of the crowd. "These storm clouds that appeared on Mount. Coronet are obviously bad news. It's even more obvious who's responsible. Team Galactic may have gotten the drop on us earlier, but it won't happen again.

"But that's no reason not to be cautious. It's clear they now possess the ability to control pokemon, and very powerful pokemon at that. We do not know the way they do it. But Miss Thompson here has given us a theory."

I froze as all eyes in the field turned to look at me, but at a slight burst of warmth from one of the three shrunken pokeballs in my hand, I cleared my throat. "Erm… Well, it wasn't my idea specifically, but when Nicky and I were running from the Titans, I noticed they had eight eyes. I specifically remember in school learning that the legend said they had seven. Not only that, but one eye on each was smaller than the rest, and it looked rough and sharp, instead of smooth… It looked like a small part of one of the gems that the Lake Guardians have encrusted in their skin."

Several of the League members recoiled, as did some of the soldiers, but I forged on. "I think this eighth eye is how they're being controlled. Perhaps if we destroy it, the Titans will be freed?"

Nods of understanding were given, but Flint, who was standing nervously next to Looker, shook his head slowly. "I'm not so sure we should free them," he stated slowly, bringing all eyes on him.

"Why not?" Cynthia asked curiously.

Flint sighed. "As a fire type trainer, I've seen a lot of… hot tempers. The Titans will be angry that they were controlled. Very, _very_ angry. If we free them, it's more likely they'll see red and destroy everything in their path." He turned to my mother. "You're a Dragon Master, so you know exactly what I'm talking about." Drasna nodded grimly in agreement. "We'll need to figure out some other way to get around them."

That speech was allowed to hang for several dreadful moments, before Agatha spoke up. "Where's the young Psychic, Terry? If memory serves, he was the only one not accounted for."

"I'm sure he's ok," Diantha responded from her position next to Cynthia. "I know Terry was hurt, but his Gardevoir got him out and was unharmed herself. Chances are they're resting somewhere, letting her rest after healing him."

"So Terry was here, after all."

All heads snapped to the back of the crowd, where a boy maybe a year younger than me stands. He's dressed in a blue and black jacket, black jeans, red tennis shoes, and a baseball cap covering his short black hair. His skin is a bit pale, and his blue eyes contrast harshly against it. His gaze is locked on the champion of Sinnoh, unwavering, and it takes me a moment to realize I recognize him: the kid that had vanished right before my extremely one-sided battle with Flint.

"I want to fight," he said.

Cynthia stares hard at him, but his gaze doesn't waver. "Who are you?" she finally asks.

"The name's Callen," he responded. His voice takes on a bit of an edge as he continues; "I traveled with Terry and Alex for a time. I fought with 'em in the Unova Incident. Thought, with all that over, maybe we'd actually do some travelling together that didn't involve killing people or fighting for our lives… I guess not," he finished bitterly.

"You're the kid from Wellspring Cave," Diantha said suddenly. "The one that saved those fossils and pokemon."

"And I'm sure you heard how we did it, so I'd appreciate it if you'd not mention it again," Callen snapped. He pinched his nose. "I'm sorry, it's just… I'm done running from what happened." He looked up at Cynthia again. "It's about time I stopped looking for answers that I won't find anywhere else."

For the longest time, not one sound was made save the roar of the wind. That is, until Cynthia broke a trace of a smile. "You got guts, kid. We could use you. What skills d'you got?"

In response, Callen throws three pokeballs into the air. The lights flash like the lightning in the storm as three pokemon appear, surrounding him. To his right, a Luxray stands tall, a permanent scowl on his face. On the boy's left, A Pyroar stretches quietly, her eyes revealing her deadly intelligence. And finally, behind him, the Samurott I had seen by his side earlier stands tall and proud. It was easy to tell that the three had had a lot of training, and I had no doubt that they could give Flint a run for his money.

"We're stronger than ever," he said, glancing proudly at his team. "And my pops taught me to shoot before he left. Granted, I don't have a weapon. I was hoping you could get me a pistol at least, something to defend myself with."

"I can take care of that," Looker responds. He pulls a small weapon from his jacket. "Classic Colt, can't go wrong… And I'm officially arming a minor," he adds in a self-disgusted mutter as he hands over the gun.

"You're arming a minor that can aim a hell of a lot better than your sorry ass," Callen said jokingly as he strapped the included holster to his hip. That got a good chuckle out of the soldiers. After a moment of laughing along with them, Callen noticed me. He quickly strode over, holding out his hand. "You're Amber, right?"

"Yes," I responded as I shook. "How'd you know?"

"Heard it from Nurse Joy," he responded casually. His voice dropped as he continued, "Can I ask you a favor?"

"Yes?"

"I… I want to talk to Nicky's pokemon." he said nervously. "I want to apologize."

The request confuses me a little, and I ponder it as he returns his pokemon to their pokeballs. Before I can reply, a small convoy of sturdy looking trucks pulls up next to us. The soldiers immediately split off into groups and begin piling in. I catch my mom's eye, and she waves me over to a slightly larger car. Callen follows, glancing questioningly at Drasna, who, after a moment, nods. I scoot over a bit on the bench, and he gets in behind.

Once we're settled, I respond: "I… Yes. I'll let you. But not now."

He nods. "For now, let's kick some ass!"

 **-Mount Coronet (Lower Region), 11:20 PM, Callen's POV-**

I hopped out of the truck quickly, one hand on my pistol, the other snapping pokeballs from my belt and clicking them one by one. In an instant, my friends appeared beside me, staring around for any signs of attackers. Soldiers and Pokemon alike from the rest of the vehicles were doing the same, and one of them caught my eye. She gave the smallest of approving nods, before turning away and releasing a ferocious looking Nidoking from one of her pokeballs.

Amber jumped down beside me, a Turtwig balanced almost comically on her shoulder. Behind her, a familiar looking Gallade and Riolu land in the thin layer of snow, eyes closed, no doubt using their Aura to check for any enemies.

"Movement up ahead," one of the soldiers says quietly. He's pointing his rifle towards the entrance to a small cave, some distance away. I'm sure that our vehicles, what with the camo and near-silent engines, weren't spotted yet. But that doesn't stop me from bending slightly lower, nor does it for the rest of the men and women with us.

We watch from our position, maybe a half-mile away from the sight. Several people clad in spacesuit-like uniforms stand in front of the entrance to the cave, the snow packed down solidly by their trekking. One in particular catches my eye, her crimson red hair clearly visible in the moonlight.

As we watch, I try not to glance at the girl next to me. I'd heard rumors that Alex's pokemon weren't killed, but I'd had no idea I'd be reunited with them. As I'd traveled with them, I'd gotten a lot closer with Alex than with Terry. Sure, the older teen was nice enough, but it was clear he had a lot on his shoulders. Alex was much more carefree, and we hit it off pretty quick.

I glanced involuntarily across her, where Nicky crouched. The Gallade looked frozen in the frigid air, even with Athena sitting on his shoulders, but not a single complaint registered on either his mouth or face. He looked determined, almost angry. I could understand.

As we watched, I noticed a trio of soldiers crouch low and move off to the left. Each had a rifle on their back, and it was clear what they planned. I glanced at Amber. "A sniper is good, sure, but we've got a half-mile between us and them. How're we gonna dispose of the bodies? And not to mention the red snow…"

Amber grimaced. "We don't have much of a choice… What the?!" She yelped, staring towards the cave. I whipped my head back towards it. In the clearing, an extra figure had suddenly appeared. Almost as quickly as they had appeared, though, they vanished, and the terrorists went with them.

 _CRACK!_

With a sound like lightning splitting a tree, the group that had been so far away was suddenly smack-dab in the middle of our convoy. Soldiers jumped back in surprise, before quickly regaining their composure and pointing their weapons menacingly at the group.

"Mmmph! MMMPH!" One of them yelled.

It took a moment for the realization to hit. The Galactic members were flailing in fear upon the ground, trying in vain to move their arms, legs, and lips, yet the appendages stuck together as though held fast by invisible bonds.

"Relax," a voice rung out across the crowd. I whipped my head upwards, where a human figure reclined in the branches of one of the snow covered trees. "They won't be going anywhere."

Amber's face split into a wide smile next to me. "Terry!"

Terry grins, although it looks slightly forced. "Hey, Amber." He turns his head, looking down on the soldiers. He looks exhausted. "Maybe tie them up? They're struggling too much for me to hold them for long."

The men looked quickly among one another, before a couple of them shrugged in unison and trotted over to one of the cars. When they returned, a thick coil of rope trailed slightly behind them. In moments, all of the enemy soldiers were bound and gagged.

With that, Terry vaults from the branch, touching the ground far slower than what should have been. He looks around, eyeing the League members, and throwing a quick smile at Amber. Then, he sees me.

And his smile fades immediately.

"What're you doing here?!" He half-shouted.

His tone is so different from what I expected that I couldn't place it. I expected a warm greeting, a hug even. Not… _What does he mean?_

"I'm helping you," I said, trying and failing to mask my rising anger. "Seems like you could use it."

"No," Terry shoots back. "You're not. No way in hell."

Before I can retort, another figure starts forward, his hands up in a peaceful gesture.

"What's the problem, Terry? He's strong, and frankly, we could use all the help we could ge-"

Terry grabs the front of the taller man's shirt, suddenly hovering. " _No,_ Junior," He hisses menacingly. "Don't you get it?! It's Alex all over again! I won't let it happen!"

With that, Terry drops Junior, who stumbles back, wide eyed. The whole clearing is silent, but I notice a couple of the soldiers' hands inching towards their holsters.

Terry looks back towards me. "I…" It's as if the fight goes out of him. He lands back on the snow-covered ground, suddenly shaky.

"I can't lose anyone else," he mumbles. "I left you behind because of that. Too many people are involved already, and I-" I started forward, my stride quickly bringing me to within inches of the Psychic.

And then I slapped him.

It's hard, much harder than even I meant to do, but my anger was getting away from me. Terry cries out, dropping to his knees. "What the hell was that for?"

"Pull yourself together!" I yell in response. "I've got people I love too, you know! We all do! Everyone knows what's at stake in this mission. _Everyone._ Including me. I don't plan on dying. But if I do…" I trail off, my fists clenched. "Then I'm taking as many of them as I can with me."

He's quiet as he gets to his feet, staring at his shoes. The whole clearing is silent for so long that it seems as though everyone had vanished. Finally, he looks up.

"I don't like it," he starts. "I don't like it at all. I hate it. But I can't stop you. Just… Stay safe. Please."

I nod silently.

"All right, then," Cynthia says when the two of us fall silent. "It seems that Terry here has brought us a couple of presents. Let's see what we can get out of their leader, Mars."

She strides over to the fallen Galactic soldiers, ending up in front of the leader. Her blood red hair glints in the lights of the convoy as she stares defiantly into Cynthia's eyes. After a moment, Cynthia glances towards Diantha.

"I don't need to bother with this, do I?"

Diantha grins. "No, you don't." With a flash of white, the Kalos Champions' partner appears in front of Mars. She frowns slightly at her, then closes her eyes. About a minute passes before she steps back, giving her trainer a look.

"Gardevoir says that Miss Mars here was tasked with guarding the entrance to Mount. Coronet," Diantha announces. "There are soldiers spread out throughout the cave system to ward off strangers. The main event is apparently happening at the peak of the mountain, although for safety reasons, Miss Mars agreed to not be informed of the details to that event."

"Gee, I wonder why?" I stated, grinning in the direction of the grunts, who were now cowering as Terry stood over them, eyes closed. He smirked, but it vanished quickly.

"We're not going to learn anything else here," he stated, opening his eyes and turning towards the cave. "I say we get up there. I have a score to settle with my _family._ " He said the last word as though staring at a shoe covered in slime.

"Let's get up there, then," Diantha responds. After setting up a small unit to watch the cave and the grunts, Diantha and Cynthia fall into step, Diantha's Gardevoir and the rest of the group following along behind.

 **-Mount Coronet(Upper Caves), Amber's POV, 11:45 PM-**

So far, the walk had been long, dreary, and, while eventful, fairly quiet. Several grunts had been positioned along the caves, patrolling for any unwanted visitors. Fortunately, upon meeting several dozen soldiers, two champions, and two powerful psychics, they all gave up quietly and resolved to come along, bound and gagged, but allowed to walk freely and under close watch.

I groaned inwardly as my feet throbbed, swelled by the climb that we hadn't nearly finished yet. The cave was dark and damp, and despite the numerous fire and electric types lighting the way and providing heat, I shivered slightly. Athena sensed my nerves, looking up at me with her red orbs for eyes. Her white fur seemed to glow dully in the light of the many small flames scattered throughout our group, and I forced out a watery smile towards her in return. With a quick jump, she vaulted into my arms. I held her close, partly for her warmth and mostly for her steadfast aura. Nicky, who walked next to me, gave me a nod of support.

 _We've both come pretty far, haven't we?_ I think to myself.

"We all have," Terry says as he appears on the other side of me, matching my pace. Angel floats next to him, though her mind is clearly elsewhere. She gazes forward, floating along, but her face is blank.

I gaze towards the older teen's face. He's clearly exhausted, the bags under his eyes larger than I'd ever seen them, his face downcast. He manages a small smile at me. "Sorry about that. It's true, though."

I laugh softly. "Yeah, well… I dunno. When I thought about going out on a journey, I'd always imagined it being a simple experience. Just Fate and I, maybe a couple other friends we'd met along the way." I glanced at Nicky and smiled. "Now, though… Well, despite everything, I'd do it all again."

Terry grinned, although it seemed watery. "You sound like you're saying goodbye. No one's going to die, you know that? We're going to win."

He sounds so convincing that after the words leave his mouth, he seems surprised himself.

"I hope -"

" _AMBUSH!"_

"Flame Thrower!"

The cave is suddenly aglow with light. I scream as the walls seem to melt away, revealing a giant cavern, along with dozens of people in Team Galactic uniforms. They direct a mass of fire type pokemon, all of which seem to be combining their efforts into producing a massive wave of fire, which was now bearing down on our group.

"Protect!" Several quick thinking soldiers shout in retaliation. Before the word is even out of their mouths, a large green sphere is projected over our team, the work of several pokemon together in tandem. Explosions quickly fill the cavern as attacks begin raining down all around us. The pokemon form a ring around our people, battling with precise skill.

"It was a trap," Terry yells. "That last cave was an illusion! Retreat!"

"No!" Cynthia yells in response. "We need to clear a path! The summit must be through here!" Garchomp, Lucario, Dragon Pulse!"

An earsplitting roar echoes through the cavern as a beam of multicolored energy shoots through the air. It impacts dead center in a group of grunts, sending them flying in all directions. Lucario, however, instead of listening to his trainer, jumped wildly towards me. A blue staff seemed to shimmer into existence in his hands. He dove past me and swung his weapon. A harsh crack shot through the air, and I turned just in time to see the body of a magmar topple to the ground, blood gushing from a gash on its temple. Before I could thank him, Lucario grabbed Nicky by the wrist, yanked him towards me, said a couple things in pokemon speak that I couldn't catch, then ran off into the fray.

Nicky nodded to himself, before turning to me. Quickly, he plucked Athena from my arms and put her around his neck, before grabbing me by the wrist. His other arm glowed a whitish color, charged and waiting for any possible attack.

Before I could argue, he dashed off, leading us through the cave. The cavern was now a war zone, smoke and dust so thick that I could barely see. Minor explosions echoed all around us, but Nicky ignored them, leading us around the small craters and rocks that filled the room.

Without warning, a huge arm reached out towards me. It was attached to an aggron, whose red eyes burned with hatred. I screamed, losing my grip on Nicky. I fell to the ground, watching in horror as it bore down on me, but with a scream that drowned out everything else, Nicky launched himself at the Iron Armor Pokemon. Athena leapt off his back, landing next to me as he collided with Aggron, sending them both staggering sideways.

" _Run, Amber!"_ He screamed, both arms now glowing white. Aggron locked eyes with his new opponent, before spinning around at speeds that seemed impossible for its large bulk. His steel tail whipped around with the force of a train, but Nicky dropped flat on his stomach, avoiding the blow. He rolled to the right to avoid the fist that followed up and cracked the stone of the cavern where his head had been only an instant before, before jumping to his feet. With a rage unlike I'd ever seen in him before, he swung both fists towards Aggron. They collided with the Iron Armor pokemon's head, pushing the monster several feet away. It roared in agony, clutching its head, but I could tell it was only a slight wound. Nicky seemed to realize this too, because he quickly grabbed me by the hand once again and raced off. It was all I could do to keep my feet under me as we fled.

"Nicky! Amber! C'mon, this way!" Callen's voice yells out. He's standing near the entrance to another cave, Diantha, Cynthia, and Terry next to him. The four of them seem unharmed, but close to getting overwhelmed. Diantha and Terry stand tall, a green shield raised in front of the four of them. Beams and spheres of energy rain down on the shield, but for every one that lands, another is returned by Angel and Diantha's other pokemon.

Nicky sees them too. He charges towards them, but out of the corner of my eye, I see a large bird suddenly dive towards us. Athena jumps onto my back as the bird extends its claws. I scream as it gets within a foot of us, before the silver furred Riolu vaults off my shoulders, one arm cloaked in a veil of blue Aura. She presses her outstretched palm between the claws of the Pidgeot, twisting to avoid the talons. The energy detonates in a massive explosion, blasting the bird away in a mass of smoking feathers. Athena lands back on my shoulder blades, grabbing my hair painfully for support.

Diantha's pokemon switch their focus, beams of light flying around us, shielding us from harm. We collide with the shield, but it simply absorbs us. I collapse on the ground, but as soon as I do, A telekinetic force lifts me up. I panic for a moment, before I realize it's Diantha's partner. She smiles at me, floats me towards a large, red pokemon with a huge set of jaws. She sets me on the neck of the Tyrantrum, who immediately starts to back away from the battle, farther into the cave.

"We need to go," Terry says, shaking slightly as he squints at the barrier. He's breathing heavily, and his voice sounds gravelly.

"He's right," Diantha, who sounds equally finished, agrees. "We can't hold off this kind of barrage much longer."

"You three go ahead, then," Cynthia says. "I'll block the tunnel behind you and catch up."

One look out towards the battle is all I need to know that her idea is suicidal, but I can also tell that we don't have a choice.

"This tunnel should lead to the summit. Put a stop to this madness," Cynthia finishes.

Diantha stares hard at her, then nods.

"Get going!"

Terry drops his arms, and Angel, who's standing beside him, quickly lifts them both onto another one of Diantha's pokemon, Aurorus. The Tundra pokemon doesn't seem to notice us, intent on firing ice beam after ice beam into the fray. When Diantha gives the command, though, She and Tyrantrum immediately start retreating, ducking low as they trek backwards through the cave. I hear Cynthia yell a command and shield my eyes as a beam of purplish energy blasts into the roof of the cave. With a horrible crunch, Cynthia and her pokemon's forms are blocked from view by a hundred tons of rock.

The silence is deafening as Callen's Luxray quietly raises it's tail. It sparks to light, bathing the corridor in a harsh, yellow glare. We all stare towards the rocks in shock.

"She'll be ok," Diantha says, although she doesn't sound sure. "They all will. They're strong."

I blink back tears.

 _Cynthia… Mom… Junior…_ I think to myself. _...We'll come back to you. Just… meet us._

 _Please._


	17. Chapter XVI: The Peak, Part 1

The figure turned around as the dust settled, her dress flapping in the wake created by the hundreds of tons of rock that crashed down behind her. The Mach Pokemon by her side tossed a look her way. He, too, knew what her decision had meant. There was no turning back.

A beam of purplish white raged towards them out of nowhere. Garchomp stepped in front of his trainer, folding his bladed wings ahead of him. The beam smashed into his wings and cleaved in two, parting to either side. The pain was intense, but Garchomp didn't flinch. Instead, once the beam subsided, he roared in fury and let loose a raging stream of purplish blue flames towards the attacker, who fell almost instantly.

Cynthia took several slow steps forward to stand next to her Garchomp. As she stops, a Roserade and Lucario appear seemingly out of thin air, though it was simply their speed assisting them. Both look exhausted but unharmed. She nods to both of them, then shields her eyes as a massive explosion detonates in the middle of the clearing.

Assessing the situation wasn't hard. Her forces, now without their key battlers, were getting pushed back by a bombardment of attacks from the army of minions in spacesuit-like armor and their hordes of pokemon, just barely holding them at bay. At the front of the pack she recognized Flint's and Bertha's dust-coated faces, Aaron's telltale green hair. Though she acted calm, her fists clenched in anger.

"Come on," she said, her voice steely. "Let's turn this around."

 **-Mount. Coronet, Amber's POV, Midnight-**

I laid back against the large white spikes, trying to find some sense of calm. The Tyrantrum, however big and mean he may have looked, seemed to sense my unease. He slowed ever so slightly, limiting the swaying of his large body. Next to him, Aurorus trekked along, Terry and Angel slumped tiredly against her neck. Between the two prehistoric pokemon, Diantha and Callen walked along the ground, their sight reassured by the glowing of Luxray's tail. Diantha's Gardevoir floated along next to her trainer. She was closer than perhaps necessary; probably anxious about the surely upcoming battle that would take place once we reached the peak.

A few steps behind the trio in between the fossil pokemon, Nicky catches my eye. He looks worn out, and now that a moment of calm has arisen, I notice several cuts along his arms and torso.

 _He took several hits for me,_ I suddenly realize. It only makes sense; the way we had gotten through that cavern unscathed should've been impossible. In fact it was, but Nicky had pushed through the pain to get us to safety.

Despite my weariness, I tap Tyrantrum's back. He stops, allowing me to slide to the ground. The fall jars me a little, but otherwise doesn't hurt. I thank the Despot Pokemon as I walk back towards Nicky, ignoring the questioning stares from Terry and Diantha. I fall into step with the Gallade, pulling my pack off my shoulders.

" _What're you doing?"_ Nicky asks. " _You should rest while you have the chance."_

"You're hurt," I retort. "And don't even think about telling me to leave you like this," I add as the Gallade opens his mouth. He catches my tone and wisely closes it once again. I take a quick look towards the front of the cave, my hand scavenging through my pack as I do so. It seems to have no end, but then again, so did the one we had passed through to the cavern. The entirety of that had apparently been an illusion. I wasn't too worried about a similar trick here, though. No doubt Terry and Diantha, not to mention their partners, were thoroughly checking the area with their powers.

As I pull a hyper potion out of my pack, Diantha seems to start.

"We're close," Terry says, nodding at her. "And I don't like what I'm sensing up ahead. It seems… Cruel."

"Agreed," Diantha says. Our group stops, and I take the chance to quickly spray Nicky's wounds. His face twists slightly, but otherwise he makes no reaction as his wounds start to heal. As I'm working, Diantha speaks up once again. "Terry?"

"Yes?" He's in the process of jumping down from Aurorus's back, followed closely by his Gardevoir. Diantha eyes her for a moment.

"Can I talk to you for a moment? Alone?"

The teen raises a brow, but shrugs. "Sure, I guess." Diantha walks off in response, and after a moment Terry follows, stopping a few dozen feet down the path. They whisper, and while I can't hear what they're saying, the animation from them both suggests a heated topic.

The bottle puffs out one last feeble spray, but the job is done. Nicky takes a deep breath, then nods to me. We join Callen, who has laid down on the stone, his head supported against Luxray's side. The Gleam Eyes Pokemon stares silently ahead, no doubt keeping an eye out for danger. Both fossil pokemon to either side of us are doing the same, although they occasionally glance back towards their trainer.

After a couple more minutes, Terry and Diantha's footsteps bring them back to us. Terry seems grave.

"Is something wrong?" Angel asks, her bell-like voice sounding in the back of my head.

"No," He says unconvincingly. "Nothing that can't be handled later." Diantha shoots a look at him, but otherwise doesn't respond.

"Tyrantrum, Aurorus, return," she says, pointing a couple of Luxury Balls towards her pokemon. As the red flashes fade, she continues. "We'll be quieter without their stomping. We can assess the situation and figure out what to do from there."

We nod as one, then start off once again towards the peak. It doens't take long for the air to start smelling fresher, the ground and rocks beginning to dampen. Not only that, but several sets of footprints are ever present in the wettest spots. As we round a slight bend, light appears at the end of the tunnel.

 **-Terry's POV-**

The cave opened onto a large plain, with a gathering of stones in the middle. Strewn about around the edges of the old columns were dozens of large rocks, sticking out of the ground like the handles of knives in a knife block. Our group crept silently across the stone, doing our best not to make any noise, but we needn't have bothered; a dozen-odd voices were ringing out from the center of the field, making plenty of sound to mask our movements. We took refuge behind a single pillar, which offered plenty of space.

Despite everything, the ruins took my breath away. I'd always been a sucker for history, and the crumbling pillars, cracked stones and fading mosaic tiles held a beauty reserved only for the oldest, grandest locations. The scene would've looked like something that had simply been lost in time, if it weren't for the people making a mess of things.

Steel scaffoldings barred several of the dusty pillars, some of which held thick, black wiring. Several people in the usual Team Galactic garb trotted about, checking data and tapping away at their laptops or tablets.

Diantha pointed past me, and I gazed after her finger. Two figures stood huddled together around a large, central console. One I didn't recognize, although from his armor-like attire, I guessed it was Team Galactic leader Cyrus, the one Junior and Amber had met. Which meant…

The man turned and looked directly at me. Even from as far away as he was, I could see his cold, cruel grin. "Indeed."

Before I can react, a stone the size of a basketball comes flying out of nowhere. It hits me square in the stomach, pushing me to the ground. The air goes out of my lungs as I land painfully, and I can only watch in horror as pokemon attacks start flying in from all sides. Nicky pulls Amber and Callen to the ground, the latter of which has pulled his pistol from his belt and is squeezing shot after shot into the night. Diantha yells something at me even as her partner says something at Angel. The two act as one, forming a large, transparent green dome around us.

Attacks continue to rain down on it as Diantha shoves her hands into her pockets. Before she can retrieve her pokeballs, though, a large, dark shape smashes into the forcefield. It shatters like glass in a hailstorm, and Diantha is blindsided hard. She falls to her side, unconscious. Both of the Gardevoir lash out viciously at the blur, but it flicks the attacks aside as if swatting a fly. With a _whoosh_ , two large wings lash out at the pair. They fall to the ground, fainted. Nicky and Luxray, rather than trying to fight, force their human companions between them and growl angrily.

In seconds, a stand-off has commenced. Amber yells desperately at me, but I'm so disoriented that I can't understand what she's saying. And then my father's face blots out everything else, looming inches from my own.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," he smiles evilly. He raises an iron-clad boot over my face, and the world goes black.

 **-Several Minutes Later-**

I wake suddenly, my head pounding like an angry drum, nose like an overinflated balloon. My stomach feels as though It's been set on fire, and I have to force myself not to vomit. I shake my head, clearing my thoughts as best I can, and open my eyes.

I'm chained to one of the old pillars, my hands and arms pinned firmly to my sides. The chain itself seems to be covered in a leather-like material, colored a deep, pure black. Even if I could concentrate well enough to mess with the chain, I wouldn't be able to. Indeed, the material was Houndoom skin. The thought horrified me, even as the chains seemed to recoil against my touch. I hate dark types.

My head is unbound, and I look around as best I can. Amber and Callen are chained up on the far side of the clearing, closest to the exit. They are awake, too, and appear unharmed. Nicky and Luxray were gone, likely returned to their pokeballs and confiscated. Next to me, however, was Diantha. She was conscious as well, but her breath was labored. Blood flowed down a gash on the back of her head, no doubt there to keep her from using her telekinesis.

"You're awake," A harsh, cold voice says. I look up to see my father staring at me. His words seem directed to both myself and Diantha. He leans almost tiredly on his cane as he continues. "I'm surprised you made it past that first ambush."

"Shut up," Diantha growls at him. "No more of your silver-tongued bullshit, Ghetsis. What are you and Cyrus up to?"

"Nothing that you'd disagree with, if you took the time to think about it," Ghetsis responds. "The Gods have ruled over this world since the beginning of Time and Space, even longer than that! It's time some new blood takes over."

I suddenly find my voice. "Go to hell," I spit at him, struggling against my chains. Ghetsis just shakes his head sadly.

"You don't understand," He says, and he sounds genuinely heartbroken. "Arceus sent you on this mission to stop me, to risk your life and lose everyone you love one by one, and for what? He doesn't care what happens as long as he's on top."

As hot as my blood is burning from seeing at my father, his words hit home. Arceus sent me on a suicide mission, after all. Why me, of all people? What did I do to deserve all the hardships that had fallen on me? And what about my friends? Hell, when I won the Battle of Unova, Arceus didn't even bother to speak to me personally! He had to send his wife, instead.

My father nods sadly at me, as if sensing my unease. "You see?" They don't care about us. They allow meaningless bloodshed to continue on without end, and what do they do? _Nothing_." He grips my shoulders.

"Join me, son. We'll tear down their thrones for good, and rebuild this Earth the right way. Angel will never be harmed again."

His offer sounds so good, I'm almost tempted to agree. And yet, his sympathetic look is ruined by his soulless, cold-hearted eyes.

I spit in his face. "Die in a hole," I say stubbornly.

He wipes my saliva off his face, his saddened expression gone. "Very well."

He steps back. "I suppose I should thank the two of you. You're arrival here has ensured the next phase of my plan to be complete." He snaps his fingers, and several grunts start forward. They undo Diantha's chains. She looks more angry than I'd imagined possible, but any escape attempt is quickly thwarted as she's overpowered. They drag her to the middle of the clearing, to one of two metal poles sticking out of the stone. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Amber and Callen watching on in horror.

Diantha's rechained to the stake, but unlike before, she's now been shackled by her wrists. She dangles from the pole, her toes several inches off the ground, and her ankles are quickly bound as well.

Once she's secured, several more guards come forward. Diantha gasps in shock, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks, and I moment I see why: her Gardevoir is being drug between the guards. Various cuts line her arms and legs, and she shivers uncontrollably.

She's thrown to the ground a few feet in front of her trainer, curling into a ball shakily on the stones. Diantha screams in rage. "HOW DARE YOU! GARDEVOIR!" She thrashes, causing the chains to clink harshly against their pole. "LET HER GO!"

In response, Cyrus strides up to her, raising an iron-gloved hand. He slaps her hard across the face. Diantha cries out in pain, a large black bruise immediately starting to form. "Shut up," he instructs, his voice cold and quiet.

Diantha wisely quiets down, and Cyrus turns to the Gardevoir that now lies at his feet. "You will do as I say, or I'll pick your trainer apart, one grisly part at a time."

The Gardevoir's eyes widen, but Diantha locks eyes with her. "I forbid you to help him for my sake!" Immediately, she's slapped again, and this time I can hear the sharp snap of her jaw breaking. She screams in pain, her mouth hanging open uselessly, body writhing in her chains. Her Gardevoir cries out too, throwing herself at Cyrus's feet, pleading. He kicks her in the chest and she's thrown back several feet, sent into a coughing fit.

Cyrus pulls a knife from his belt and pushes it against Diantha's neck. She quiets down, whimpering in pain. Cyrus smiles cruelly at her, but before he can harm the Champion further, the ground rumbles slightly. He turns around as Diantha's Gardevoir pulls herself to her knees. Around her, the loose pebbles and debris shake furiously, the ground vibrating around her.

" _Leave… Her… Alone…"_ Her voice was deadly, filled with venom even as she stared at the ground, tears streaming down her face.

Cyrus frowned. "... I think not." He put his knife against Diantha's chest and slowly pulled downward, cutting her dress away and leaving a thin, red line down her stomach. She blushed heavily and tried in vain to cover her suddenly exposed breasts. Instead her arms jerk as he pulls his knife down her chest again, leaving a much deeper cut. Blood pours out of the wound.

With a scream of fury, Gardevoir launches herself at Cyrus. She's an inch away from his face, her arms crawling with electricity, when the black blur appears out of thin air and rams into her. She's thrown several feet away, crashing into a stone column. She falls to the ground, and we can only watch in terror as the column falls down after her. She must be less stunned than I thought, though, because she manages to roll out of the way. The rock lands with a horrible _crack!_ and pins her leg. She screams in agony, fingers clawing at the stone.

"SHUT UP!" Cyrus roars, bringing another fist into Diantha's stomach. She gasps and vomits horribly, choking as she tries to regain her breath.

Gardevoir seemed to completely lose herself. Despite the column pinning her to the ground, she flailed angrily, beating her arms on the tiles. She tried to levitate the rock off her leg, but whatever the grunts had done to her seemed to have sapped her strength.

" _Stop_ ," Diantha's telepathic voice says. She's stumbling over her words even in her mind. " _I don't want you to help me or Ghetsis. Stop. Please."_ Gardevoir seemed completely stunned at these words. She looked so upset that I almost thought she might attack _Diantha_ , but finally she looked down at the ground once again. She fell silent, lying stock still to avoid aggravating her leg. She sniffled slightly.

"Pathetic," Cyrus growled at her. "You will do as I say, or I will tear both her and the boy to pieces."

"Actually, Cyrus," Ghetsis stepped forward. "I would like that right. Honchkrow!"

The blur appears once more, hovering next to Ghetsis, and I get my first real look at it: a large, dark blue bird with red on the inside of it's wings, and white around it's neck, almost like a beard. The feathers on it's head look almost like a hat, the kind you might see gangsters wearing. It's eyes are cold and heartless, it's talons sharpened to a deadly point. A perfect match for my father.

"Kill the champion first," Ghetsis orders.

" _Krooow!"_ Honchkrow screams. It beats it's wings and flies straight up, looping over and falling into a dive, white energy crackling all over it's body. He's fifty feet away from Diantha's limp form. Forty.

Thirty.

Twenty.

Ten.

From somewhere behind me, a huge explosion detonates, the ground under my feet rumbling. A white beam of draconic energy blasts forth, as wide as a bus, and slams into the Big Boss pokemon. With a screech of pain and surprise, Honchkrow is sent rocketing out of view.

Another explosion, smaller this time, sounds. I'm glad it's smaller, because it seemed to come from right behind me, and I wasn't quite ready to die yet. The chains binding me are snapped, and I fall to the ground. The two human bosses are staring at me, and I flail around, trying to get around the column I was bound to. I expect to be killed almost immediately, but after a moment I realize they aren't looking at me.

They're looking at the crowd of people and pokemon standing on the rocks all around them. I recognize The entirety of Kalos' Elite Four glares daggers towards the enemy leaders. In front of them, Cynthia stands tall.

"I'm no longer here to capture," Cynthia says. She doesn't yell, doesn't even speak loudly, yet her voice carries clearly through the ruins. "My friends and I are here to kill every last one of you." She locks eyes with Cyrus, who stares silently back.

"Starting with you."

The army surges forward, and all hell breaks loose.

 _ **Author's Note**_

 _ **I know a lot of you think I'm dead. I promise I'm not. At first, I wanted to write this story, but I couldn't seem to get my ideas straight for how I wanted this to go. Then I finally figured it out, all hell breaks loose in my life. I won't go into details, but it's calming down now.**_

 _ **Some of you may think, what with my starting my senior year in High School, I won't have much time to write. That's true. I'm really cracking down this year, trying to make sure I get everything finished. But there's good news there, too. With school starting back up, my life is about to regain a lot of structure that I lost over the summer. That in mind, I'm a lot less stressed and will be able to write much more than I could when I was in that state.**_

 _ **I'm sorry for abandoning all of you like I did.**_

 _ **I will continue to put out these chapters as I finish them. I expect Book Two to be finished by chapter 25 at most. After that... We'll see. Rest assured, however, that I plan on seeing not just**_ **Unbalanced Power** ** _through to the end, but all the other stories that I've started as well._**

 ** _Good luck. -Orthros_**


End file.
